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UFC fans have commemorated Taylor Wily’s life on social media following his death earlier this week at the age of 56 – three decades after his appearance on ‘UFC 1: The Beginning’.
Over the past 24 hours to X, fans praised the Hawaiian-born former sumo following his death on Thursday. A cause of death has not yet been made public. Wily is survived by his wife Halona and their two children.
Aside from his acting career late in life, Wily was known for his role as ‘Teila Tuli’ when he fought Dutch kickboxer and MMA pro Gerard Gordeau, to whom he lost by technical knockout (head kick) 31 years ago. , in Denver, Colorado.
Due to his and Gordeau’s contrasting dimensions, the fight has long been remembered as ‘David vs. Goliath’.
‘Teila Tuli – half of the first televised UFC fight in history – has died at the age of 56. Before NHB, Tuli was a sumo wrestler. Regardless of the outcome, Tuli was part of one of the most iconic moments in combat sports history,” a UFC fan account on X said.
Tributes have poured in for Taylor Willy, aka ‘Teila Tuli’, one of the very first UFC fighters
Wily was known for his fight against Dutch boxer and MMA pro Gerard Gordeau in 1993
‘Teila Tuli, the first fighter to EVER step into the octagon in 1993, sadly passed away today at the age of 56. A true pioneer of MMA,” wrote another.
Carmen Bidalot – a film industry veteran who appears to have known Wily personally – wrote: “It was with sadness that I learned of the death of actor Teila Tuli, also known as Taylor Willy. He played the unforgettable Kamekona in the American television series Hawaii with 5-0.
“All my thoughts are with his family.”
Another person said, “First fighter to ever enter the UFC octagon for the very first fight. A pioneer in MMA. Tear Teila Tuli.’
UFC fans describe Wily, a former sumo wrestler, as one of the “pioneers” of the sport
‘[Taylor Willy] will always be remembered as Teila Tuli to fight fans. RIP,” one fan shared.
Prior to his UFC debut, Willy was undefeated in his first 14 matches as a sumo wrestler, weighing almost 200 kg. He was among the toughest profiles in the sport.
He retired from sumo in 1989 due to knee problems and went on to appear in the US crime dramas Hawaii Five-0 and Magnum PI, as well as the 2008 film ‘Forgetting Sarah Marshall’.