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Four men have been charged in relation to the assault that left MMA fighter Fau Vake in critical condition.
Early on Sunday morning, Vake was reportedly attacked by four men on Symonds Street in Central Auckland. The 25-year-old was transported to the hospital and has remained on life support since.
Vake was apparently waiting for a taxi to arrive, which is when the attackers showed up and assaulted the Australian fighter.
Initially, the police arrested two men before charging a total of four individuals. Three of the individuals are 29 years of age, while one is 32-year-old.
According to nzherald, two of the four men were charged with common assault, which, in serious cases, has a penalty of a one-year jail term under New Zealand's jurisdiction.
One individual was charged with two counts of assaulting with intent to injure, and another with wounding with intent and injuring with intent. All four appeared in court on Monday.
Fau Vake is also a teammate of UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya. 'The Last Stylebender' called for more stringent laws in his country following the assault of his training partner and friend.
"I am distraught. My gym brother may die because of the gutless actions of these men. In the past decade, there have been numerous deaths from punches thrown when people are not looking. Given the massive publicity these crimes have received, no one is dumb enough to think there is not a serious risk of death. There is no excuse, it should be considered attempted murder or murder," said Adesanya according to TVNZ.
Fau Vake's family want to keep him on life support
Fau Vake's family members have asked Auckland City Hospital to keep him on life support as he continues his battle with life, reported Tongan Publication Kaniva News.
Vake's coach, Eugene Bareman, claimed that his student's condition is critical and that he is praying for a "miracle".
"He's hanging on by a thread. So yeah, we're praying for a miracle. That's what we need at this stage," Bareman told the AM Show.
The school that Fau Vake once attended also appealed to their community to pray for the Australian.
