MMA star Ilima-Lei Macfarlane raises ‘$2.6MILLION’ for Maui wildfire victims and credits Jason Momoa and Meghan Trainor for sharing the fund
MMA star Ilima-Lei Macfarlane raises ‘$2.6 million’ for Maui wildfire victims, thanks Jason Momoa and Meghan Trainor for sharing fund
- Ilima-Lei Macfarlane has been instrumental in helping Maui’s victims
- The MMA fighter was born in Hawaii and will fight next at Bellator 300
- DailyMail.com provides all the latest international sports news
MMA star Ilima-Lei Macfarlane has raised $2.6 million for victims of the Maui wildfires, she said in a video published Saturday.
Born in Honolulu, Hawaii, Macfarlane did establish a fund after the fires that devastated the island and killed at least 115 people.
And the hunter spoke with TMZ Sports about the generosity she has seen in others.
“We’ve hit the $2.6 million mark on Instagram alone,” Macfarlane said.
“The great thing I love about this fundraiser is that it wasn’t big companies or big donors, it was literally people.”
Born in Honolulu, Ilima-Lei Macfarlane played a major role in helping Maui’s victims
Wildfires have burned throughout Maui, destroying more than 1,700 buildings and claiming lives
The fund has also received some celebrity attention, as Macfarlane credited actor Jason Momoa and signatory Meghan Trainor for sharing the website.
Locals recently claimed to DailyMail.com that the death toll had risen to 480 people.
Macfarlane isn’t the only athlete to help Maui victims lately.
Boxing legend Floyd Mayweather paid for flights, hotels, food and clothing for nearly 70 families fleeing Maui last month.
According to TMZ Sports, Mayweather accommodated 68 families in hotels for weeks while also providing them with food from local restaurants and clothing.
In addition, golfer Collin Morikawa pledged to donate $1,000 for every birdie he made in the FedEx Cup playoffs to support recovery efforts in Maui.
Morikawa’s grandparents were born in Lahaina, the historic town on Maui destroyed by the fires.
Collin Morikawa pledged $1,000 per birdie during the FedEx Cup playoffs to support relief efforts in Maui
An aerial view shows the magnitude of the destruction caused by the wildfires in Hawaii
Also, the 12 professional sports teams across Los Angeles banded together to donate $450,000 to the Red Cross.
Macfarlane is set to battle Liz Carmouche at Bellator 300 on Oct. 7, but admitted that the fires in Maui put a damper on what should be an exciting time for her.
“It was a super scary time and it was kind of weird timing, because the fires happened the day we announced my title fight,” Macfarlane told TMZ.
“I just couldn’t be happy. I couldn’t be excited for this super awesome fight I’ve been craving for so long just because of what was going on.”