Peni Taufa'ao
Peni Taufa'ao (born on November 2, 1980 on the Island of Vava'u, Tonga), member of a Tongan Royal Family, is a former rugby union player and is currently a bantamweight fighter rising in Hawaii's bantamweight rankings.
Early life
Peni Taufa'ao grew up part of a royal family in the small Island Kingdom of Tonga and played rugby as did most guys, but it is when Peni found his way to America did he find his true passion. Although Peni is from a royal family, he wanted to see the world and experience things before returning to Tonga and following in the footsteps of the men before him. However, setting foot outside of Tonga would prove to be an uphill battle for Peni. He didn't know how to speak English and came from a poor and very small country. After leaving Tonga Peni made a promise to himself, that he would make a name for Tongan athletes around the world.
Pro career
In 2005 Peni started kickboxing, there he found success with his raw talent. Pulling together an undefeated record he turned to a more popular sport in mixed martial arts. In 2006 he made his Pro debut against a very tough wrestler in Isaiah Cobb-Adams. Knowing hardly a jiu-jitsu he won the fight by guillotine choke in the second round. For a guy who spoke hardly any English and with no one to translate for him, he started to grow a fan base. Fans would come up to him to take photos and he would just smile and laugh. As his English grew so did the support from Tongans around the world. Tongans are widely known for their Rugby and Football success, but here in a new sport a Tongan Star was emerging. Peni had his first set back going into his second fight and taking on jiu-jitsu student Sadhu Bott. Although Peni tasted defeat again he earned a lot of recognition for his true warrior spirit. Since his loss he has pulled off 3 huge and very impressive victories and continues to rise in the Hawaii Rankings. Currently he is the number 3 Bantamweight fighter in Hawaii.
Sources
MMA Hawaii Rankings
Fight Analysis
Fighter Database Record
Videos
Fight Footage (Fought with a dislocated elbow)
Fight of the night
Fight Footage (Fought with a broken jaw)
