A shocking piece of news has stunned the MMA world as Kiwi mixed martial artist Hakaraia Wilson passed away at the very young age of 26. According to Te Ao Māori News, the Bellator MMA fighter was attending the Rhythm and Vines festival in Gisborne when he died on Wednesday. But how did he just suddenly pass away?

As per the police, they got the report of Hakaraia Wilson’s passing at an address on Einstein Street. As of now, they have ruled out foul play as the death does not seem to be suspicious and has been referred to the coroner. Currently based in the UFC, the fighter had a pro-MMA record of 4 wins and 3 losses and was a part of Bellator MMA.

His last fight was against Mark Alcoba in Bali, where Hakaraia Wilson won the bout in the very first round via TKO. The 26-year-old was following in his father’s footsteps, as he too was a fighter, and got him into combat sports at a very young age. In a 2020 interview with Te Ao Māori News, Wilson said, “He was a fighter back in the day, and, as I was growing up, I’d go to his training and watch him. From then I knew what I wanted to do, and so, without my dad, I probably wouldn’t have chosen to do this sport.”

Since his passing, tributes from friends and the MMA community have been flooding social media, as such an unexpected death surely hits fans the hard way, reminding them of the unexpected nature of life and death. The perfect example of this uncertainty can be proven by the very last social media post that the 4-3 fighter shared on his social media.

“Here to stay” Hakaria Wilson’s last post moves fans

The 26-year-old’s Instagram post is moving fans to tears. Why? Well, because it talked about a promise. The promise made by the Bellator fighter to bounce back from all his losses, to stay in the fight game till the very end. Sharing pictures of himself from inside the Octagon, he wrote, “Took an L in May, learned from it & turned da page. Been waiting a minute for a chance to wash dat taste out of my mouth n show how much I’ve grown. Shout out to my coaches n my people for havin my back thru it all. Forever in debt ❤️‍🔥 I love this sh-t & I’m here to stay.”

It is always sad when one passes away. But it feels devastating to find out that they left young, with a lot still in their minds when it comes to achievements. So, when fans read the caption to his recent post, they couldn’t help but share their thoughts on this post made of unfulfilled dreams. They wrote, “This post goes hard!,” “Man left with too many dreams left behind,” and “This post makes me sad.” Many other fans joined in, praying for the spirit of Hakaria Wilson to find peace in heaven. Taking to the comments, they shared, “My Bro love you man may you rest in peace.” “Rest Easy Māori” and “Rest in peace brotha ❤️”

Unfortunately, the fight world has seen many other fighters pass away at a very young age. Hakaraia Wilson too joined the list comprised of other fighters such as Anthony Johnson, Geane Herrera, and many more who died too young. This has become a heartbreaking truth of the MMA realm, so many fans shared their sadness on this thought through their comments as they wrote, “Why are MMA fighters dying so young?” and “Its sad seeing young warriors pass away early🕊️” EssentiallySports would like to share their condolences with the family of Hakaraia Wilson and those affected.