The UFC champion who created a foundation against street fighting after the death of a friend

Mixed martial arts (MMA) is the fastest-growing spectacle-based sport globally in recent years. In Spain, contact sports schools specializing in this discipline have experienced an unprecedented boom, thanks especially to the consolidation of Ilia Topuria as a global superstar. Furthermore, this sport embodies a series of values ​​that are transmitted through the sweat of the mat, such as respect, discipline, camaraderie, and constant effort.

Many lives have been redirected thanks to MMA, as evidenced by its largest organization, the UFC, where numerous athletes share stories of redemption or overcoming obstacles . Many come from poverty or marginalized backgrounds, but manage to become high-value individuals through mixed martial arts. Furthermore, many of them, like former interim champion Dustin Poirier , promote foundations to try to help the next generation.

Another example of this is the multi-time UFC middleweight champion, New Zealander Israel Adesanya. His case, moreover, has a very dramatic tone. The man who dominated the 185-pound weight class recently revealed that he had created a foundation after the tragic death of his friend and training partner Fau Vake, who died in 2021 after being treacherously punched in the back during a street fight. Thus, Adesanya, along with his coach Eugene Bareman, founded the organization Walk Without Fear, to raise awareness about street violence and promote non-confrontation.

Adesanya has also sought to increase penalties for crimes that involve such attacks, cowardly blows from behind without the possibility of defense. He calls for a tougher law. His friend, he points out, was a good person, but he was the victim of a ruthless man who cowardly attacked him from behind. In any case, the former UFC champion , a kickboxing master, is trying to spread a message of avoidance in the face of conflict. He says, and it is a reality, that blows should always be controlled and through a regulated sport with strict safety protocols.