When attending a music festival
Young martial artist dies at the age of 26 on New Year’s Day
January 2, 2025 – 8:10 p.mReading time: 2 minutes
Actually, MMA fighter Hakaraia Wilson just wanted to attend a music festival in the New Zealand city of Gisborne. But this visit ended tragically.
Mourning for Hakaraia Wilson: The 26-year-old martial artist died on New Year’s Day, reports the New Zealand medium “Te Ao Maori News”. Wilson was in the city of Gisborne for a music festival that ran from December 29th through New Year’s Eve.
Police were called on New Year’s morning and found Wilson dead. External influence was ruled out. “The death is not suspicious and has been referred to the coroner,” it said in a statement. The cause of the martial artist’s death is unknown.
Wilson is best known in New Zealand as a mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter. He most recently competed for Bellator MMA in the USA. His last match was in October at Canggu Fight Night in Bali, where he defeated Mark Alcoba.
Friends and family have now expressed their sadness at the sudden loss. Steve Oliver, founder of Oliver MMA, shared a photo of Wilson with his family on Facebook. Another companion wrote: “Brother, I have no words for it and I can’t believe it. Rest in peace, Brother Haks (Hakaraia).” Another posted: “I’ll miss you bro.”
In a 2020 interview with Te Ao Maori News, Wilson had spoken about his beginnings in martial arts: “I started fighting under my father’s tutelage. He used to be a fighter himself, and when I grew up I went to his Training and watching him, I knew from then on what I wanted to do. Without my father, I probably wouldn’t have chosen this sport.”