The recent tragedy of the Maui wildfire has had a profound impact on the Hawaiian community. UFC fighter Max Holloway, who originates from the state, along with the UFC president, Dana White, have extended their support to those affected by this calamity. Moreover, they have donated a considerable amount of money to the affected victims. Meanwhile, yet another MMA fighter, Ilima-Lei Macfarlane, seems to have unexpectedly raised more than what the UFC offered for the same cause.

33-year-old Ilima-Lei Macfarlane competes in Bellator MMA’s flyweight division. She was the inaugural champion of the division and currently; she is the 2nd-ranked flyweight in the division. Macfarlane, who hails from the Hawaiian island of Oahu, launched a fundraiser for the Maui fires and received an unexpected outcome. Let us take a look at what transpired.

MMA fighter joins Max Holloway and Dana White in raising money for Maui

Max Holloway was visibly upset and even broke down while mentioning the victims of the Maui fires. In a collaborative endeavor with Dana White, ‘Blessed’ donned the ‘UFC loves Hawaii’ t-shirts featuring a heart emblem to promote their sale and generate funds for Maui. Moreover, the UFC even donated $1 million to the victims as well. However, there were more hands on deck as Ilima-Lei Macfarlane was also working for the same cause.

The Bellator fighter initiated a fundraising campaign through the Instagram account of her pre-existing nonprofit organization, the ‘Na Wahine Toa Foundation’, which is based in Hawaii. The foundation was established in 2021 with the primary objective of imparting self-defense skills to Native communities and Native women. Ilima-Lei Macfarlane was expecting to raise a couple of thousand dollars. But the amount of money that was raised defied all her expectations.

Macfarlane raised double the amount that UFC donated for Maui fires

In a recent interview with ‘SF Gate’, the 33-year-old fighter mentioned that she was overwhelmed by the response to her fundraiser. It raised more than double what the UFC donated – over $2.6 million. Macfarlane said, “It went viral, you know, overnight.” She added, “It got up top a million, and that’s when we had to adjust and we’re like, ‘OK, what are we going to do now that it’s become so big?'”

The management of millions of dollars represents a significantly greater undertaking than any previously handled by her nonprofit organization. As such, Macfarlane is looking to expand the organization by enlisting personnel to facilitate the allocation of funds, all the while ensuring transparency and responsibility to the community. Specifically, she aims to attract individuals who have been affected by the fires and require a means of financial support.

READ MORE: “Respect, Max!”- $200M Conor McGregor Sends His Support to Emotional Max Holloway as 1,000 Still Missing Owing to Maui Fire in Hawaii

The people of Hawaii are certainly getting a lot of support from the MMA community through certain fighters. With these efforts, people are hoping that the families affected by the incident, which has affected over 1,000 people, find some sense of relief. We will have to wait and see how they cope with the wildfires in the days to come.

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