Soa Palelei: Ready for the Octagon, motivated by the Fans
Tomorrow the power of social media will be on full display when heavyweight Soa Palelei returns to the Octagon at UFC 164. While the Aussie was working on his current 8 fight winning streak, his fans were also working hard with their relentless tweets at UFC President Dana White to bring “The Hulk” back.
“I’m blessed to have loyal followers and as much as I wanted to get back into the UFC they wanted to see me back there and they became my #HulkGladiators and it went worldwide. They would tweet Dana and the UFC nonstop and I have nothing but love for them,” explained Palelei.
Soa Palelei lost his only UFC appearance back at UFC 79 in 2007 but has since gone 10-1 including 8 knockouts and two submissions. After defeating former UFC fighting Sean McCorkle to improve his overall record to 18-3, the fans got their wish and Soa Palelei was signed to face Stipe Miocic. Injuries would shuffle up that fight card and Palelei would have to wait a little longer before getting back inside the Octagon.
“It was disappointing at first because you train harder and you cut weight and then to have to be changed it did disappoint but I still went over to Canada and it was good to be back there amongst it all and now I feel that I’m ready to go come August 31st. I’m a strong believer that if it’s meant to be it will happen and I guess this is where I was supposed to be,” Palelei said of his delayed return.
Wait he did though and at UFC 164 Soa Palelei will face promotional newcomer Nikita Krylov on the night’s preliminary card. The Ukrainian who goes by the nickname “The Al Capone” will be fighting for the fifth time this year and holds 10 career wins via submission.
“Nikita is tough and he’s just as hungry as I am, we’re both wanting a win and we will both give it our all come fight night, you all just have to stay tuned to see what happens, I have nothing but respect for Nikita. My team has watched his videos and our game plan seems right for us and I just have to execute it,” said Soa Palelei of his opponent.
Regardless of his opponent or his past UFC performance Soa Palelei is motivated and ready to prove he belongs in the UFC. When “The Hulk” steps into the Octagon this weekend at UFC 164 he’ll do so knowing that he doesn’t go in there alone because he’ll have one of, if not the most underrated MMA fan base in there with him.
Soa Palelei would I’d like to thank his sponsors Mackboots, Southern Crossfit, Osbourne Park Chrysler Jeep and Dodge, My Urban Swagga, iMINCO, SkinX, Muscle Meals Direct, Topshelf Supplements, Adidas Combat Sports, GreenHOUS, TKL Holdings, Exquisite Dentistry & Innovative Hair Loss Solutions. He’s also like to thank his family for their support, his team and all the amazing fans.
If you’d like to become a Hulk Gladiator, follow him on Twitter at Soa The Hulk Palelei.
(Photo Courtesy of Soa Palelei)
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My brain child is MMAValor, something I had wanted to do for a long time and finally it’s here. Been an MMA fan since TUF season one (play catch up all the time) and the obsession started to grow like a weed and as the sport grows so does the love for the sport. I’m a jack of all trades, a very organized person that rides an emotional roller coaster daily.Subscribe
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