John Taufa Vake (born 15 June 1991) is a Tongan New Zealander pro-mixed martial arts fighter and wrestler, who has represented Tonga at the Commonwealth Games.
Background
Vake was born in Auckland, New Zealand and educated at Kelston Boys' High School.[1][2] He took up wrestling after failing to get into the school rugby team.[1] His first professional MMA fight was in 2012. In 2018, he opened a fight club in Auckland to help troubled youth.[3] He also runs a Whānau Ora-funded program for Kelston Boys' High School students.[4]
In 2022 he was selected for the Tongan team for the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England.[5][6] He was defeated in the first round by Muhammad Sharif Tahir.[7]
Mixed martial arts record
| 24 matches | 14 wins | 10 losses |
| By knockout | 4 | 3 |
| By submission | 4 | 1 |
| By decision | 6 | 6 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 14–10 | Alfred Stoddart | Decision (unanimous) | Shuriken Fight Series 19 | 7 December 2024 | 5 | 5:00 | Auckland, New Zealand | For the Shuriken MMA Middleweight Championship. |
| Loss | 14–9 | Lachlan Stitt | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Eternal MMA 86 | 22 June 2024 | 5 | 1:48 | Gold Coast, Australia | For the vacant Eternal MMA Welterweight Championship. |
| Win | 14–7 | James Craughwell | TKO (punches) | Shuriken Fight Series 17 | 20 April 2024 | 2 | 2:41 | Auckland, New Zealand | Light Heavyweight bout. |
| Loss | 14–8 | J.J. Ambrose | Decision (split) | Shuriken Fight Series 15 | 17 July 2023 | 5 | 5:00 | Auckland, New Zealand | For the Shuriken MMA Welterweight Championship. |
| Win | 13–7 | Daniel Kerr | TKO (punches) | XFC 64 | 15 April 2023 | 1 | N/A | Dunedin, New Zealand | |
| Loss | 12–7 | Aldin Bates | Decision (split) | Eternal MMA 73 | 11 February 2023 | 3 | 5:00 | Perth, Australia | |
| Win | 12–6 | Andrew Mills | Decision (unanimous) | Eternal MMA 68 | 20 August 2022 | 3 | 5:00 | Perth, Australia | |
| Loss | 11–6 | Saeid Fatahifar | KO (punches) | Wollongong Wars 7 | 12 July 2019 | 2 | N/A | Gwynneville, Australia | For the Wollongong Wars Welterweight Championship. |
| Loss | 11–5 | Park Jun-yong | TKO (punches) | HEX Fight Series 13 | 23 March 2018 | 2 | 2:14 | Melbourne, Australia | |
| Win | 11–4 | Stephen Walton | Submission (arm-triangle choke) | HEX Fight Series 12 | 24 November 2017 | 1 | 4:25 | Melbourne, Australia | |
| Loss | 10–4 | Kitt Campbell | Decision (unanimous) | HEX Fight Series 10 | 29 July 2017 | 5 | 5:00 | Perth, Australia | For the vacant HEX Welterweight Championship. |
| Win | 10–3 | Liu Huanan | Submission (guillotine choke) | Chin Woo Men: 2016-2017 Season, Stage 6 | 19 February 2017 | 1 | 1:27 | Guangzhou, China | |
| Win | 9–3 | Sergey Lesnikov | Decision (unanimous) | World Kings Glory MMA | 6 January 2017 | 3 | 5:00 | Harbin, China | |
| Win | 8–3 | Zhang Mingyang | KO (punches) | Kunlun Fight: Cage Fight Series 6 | 21 October 2016 | 1 | 2:18 | Yiwu, China | Catchweight (190 lb) bout. |
| Loss | 7–3 | B.J. Bland | Decided (split) | Shuriken MMA: Island Wars | 28 November 2015 | 3 | 5:00 | Auckland, New Zealand | For the Shuriken MMA Welterweight Championship. |
| Win | 7–2 | Beau Rawiri | Decision (unanimous) | Fair Pay Fighting 1 | 5 September 2015 | 3 | 5:00 | Auckland, New Zealand | |
| Win | 6–2 | Brogan Anderson | Decision (unanimous) | Hammerhead MMA Fight Night 16 | 23 May 2015 | 3 | 5:00 | Dunedin, New Zealand | Return to Welterweight. Won the Hammerhead MMA Welterweight Championship. |
| Win | 5–2 | Naruaedon Keewkaew | TKO (punches) | Chiang Mai FC 4 | 26 July 2014 | 1 | 1:27 | Chiang Mai, Thailand | Light Heavyweight debut. |
| Win | 4–2 | Oh Jae-sung | Decision (unanimous) | PRO Fighting 9 | 25 May 2014 | 3 | 5:00 | Taipei, Taiwan | Welterweight debut. |
| Loss | 3–2 | Israel Adesanya | TKO (punches) | Shuriken MMA: Best of the Best | 5 June 2013 | 1 | 4:43 | Auckland, New Zealand | |
| Win | 3–1 | Maikara Potae | Submission (guillotine choke) | Farquhar Fight Night | 4 May 2013 | 1 | 1:00 | Auckland, New Zealand | |
| Loss | 2–1 | Julian Matenga | Decision (unanimous) | Combined Combat Inc.: Rising Stars | 9 November 2012 | 3 | 5:00 | Auckland, New Zealand | |
| Win | 2–0 | Eva Almente | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Autorea MMA Expo | 3 November 2012 | 1 | 1:59 | Auckland, New Zealand | |
| Win | 1–0 | Brent Tumoana Shadbolt | Decision (unanimous) | Supremacy FC 9 | 24 March 2012 | 3 | 5:00 | Auckland, New Zealand | Middleweight debut. |
References
- ^ a b Jackson Thomas (31 March 2017). "'I'm gonna knock you out'". Stuff. Retrieved 7 August 2022.
- ^ "Guns of MMA go for shot at glory". New Zealand Herald. 25 September 2012. Retrieved 7 August 2022.
- ^ Torika Tokalau (5 September 2018). "At risk youths turn to mixed martial arts to save them". Stuff. Retrieved 7 August 2022.
- ^ "'You're here to be powerful' Groups make Dragons' Den-style pitches for Whanau Ora funds to run social programmes". Waipareira Trust. Retrieved 7 August 2022.
- ^ "Tonga competes in six sports at 2022 Commonwealth Games". Matangi Tonga. 29 July 2022. Retrieved 30 July 2022.
- ^ Soana Aholelei (23 July 2022). "Tonga Wrestling team make big sacrifices to get to Commonwealth Games". TP+. Retrieved 7 August 2022.
- ^ Zahid Noor (6 August 2022). "Sharif thrashes Vake to storm into CWG Wrestling quarter-final". A Sports. Retrieved 7 August 2022.
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