Taylor Williea one-time UFC fighter who went on to have a successful acting career has died of unknown causes.
KITV’s Island News in Wily’s home state of Hawaii first reported his death, citing family. Wily, who was known as Teila Tuli when he fought, was 56.
The one fight of his MMA career was undoubtedly memorable, but not great for Wily. In the first quarterfinal bout of the first tournament of the first event in the promotion’s history – UFC 1 in November 1993 – Wily (Tuli) was knocked out in 26 seconds by a head kick by Gerard Gordeau.
The KO became something of MMA lore. Wily, who also competed as a sumo wrestler, had three of his teeth knocked out – two of which were reportedly stuck in Gordeau’s foot. Gordeau also broke his hand and landed a punch.
While Wily’s fight with Gordeau wasn’t the actual first fight in UFC history – there was a tournament alternate fight just before that – it will go down in the promotion’s record books as the first fight to be televised in UFC history. Wily also suffered the first knockout in UFC history.
Wily, who had to pay £410, never fought again and became an actor.
When the UFC celebrated the 30th anniversary of UFC 1 last November, Wily was on hand with UFC Hall of Famers Ken Shamrock and Royce Gracie, as well as fellow UFC 1 fighters Art Jimmerson and Zane Frazier, to take a quick look back at the event. reunion dinner at the table. Wily’s death leaves only five of the original eight in the UFC 1 tournament. Patrick Smith and Kevin Rosier died in 2019 and 2015, respectively.
The teddy bear-sized Hawaiian starred in more than 170 episodes of the rebooted ‘Hawaii Five-0’ and was in another Hawaii-based reboot, ‘Magnum PI’. But in 2008, he found his biggest reach yet when he appeared alongside Jason Segel and Mila Kunis in the hit romantic comedy “Forgetting Sarah Marshall.”
The story originally appeared on MMA Junkie
