For other people named Tuli see Tuli
| 高見州 Takamishu |
|
|---|---|
| Personal information | |
| Born | Taylor Wiley June 14, 1969 Hawaii, USA |
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) |
| Weight | 197 kg (430 lb) |
| Career | |
| Heya | Azumazeki |
| Record | 57-27-14 |
| Debut | March, 1987 |
| Highest rank | Makushita 2 (March, 1989) |
| Retired | July, 1989 |
| Yūshō | 1 (Makushita) 1 (Jonidan) 1 (Jonokuchi) |
| * Career information is correct as of July 2007. | |
Teila Tuli, also known as Taylor Wiley (born 14 June 1969) is a former sumo wrestler and mixed martial artist from Honolulu, Hawaii of Samoan descent.
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In March 1987, he was recruited by former sekiwake Takamiyama, another Hawaiian, and joined Azumazeki stable, which Takamiyama had founded the previous year. He was given the sumo name of Takamishu. He was unbeaten in his first 14 official bouts, winning two consecutive yusho or tournament championships. Weighing nearly 200 kg (440 lb), he was one of the largest wrestlers in sumo. In March 1988, he was promoted to the third highest makushita division, and became the first foreign born wrestler to ever win the championship in that division. In the same month, future yokozuna Akebono, also from Hawaii, joined Azumazeki stable. As the highest ranking wrestler in the stable, Takamishu was a mentor to Akebono and gave him advice on how to adjust to life in Japan.[1] In March 1989 Takamishu reached his highest ever rank of makushita 2, and even fought two bouts with elite jūryō ranked wrestlers. However, Takamishu was never to reach sekitori status himself. He did not compete in the following tournament, and retired from sumo in July 1989.
| year in sumo | January Hatsu basho, Tokyo |
March Haru basho, Osaka |
May Natsu basho, Tokyo |
July Nagoya basho, Nagoya |
September Aki basho, Tokyo |
November Kyūshū basho, Fukuoka |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | x | (Banzukegai) | East Jonokuchi #7 7–0 |
East Jonidan #48 7–0 |
East Sandanme #49 4–3 |
West Sandanme #31 5–2 |
| 1988 | East Sandanme #10 4–3 |
East Makushita #55 7–0 |
East Makushita #10 2–5 |
West Makushita #23 4–3 |
East Makushita #16 5–2 |
West Makushita #8 5–2 |
| 1989 | West Makushita #4 4–3 |
East Makushita #2 3–4 |
East Makushita #6 0–0–7 |
East Makushita #46 Retired 0–0–7 |
x | x |
| Record given as win-loss-absent Top Division Champion Retired Lower Divisions Sanshō key: F=Fighting spirit; O=Outstanding performance; T=Technique Also shown: ★=Kinboshi(s) P=Playoff(s) |
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After leaving sumo, he competed in the first bout of the UFC 1 in November 1993, held in Denver, Colorado.[3] It was shown on pay-per-view. Despite heavily outweighing his opponent, he lost to Gerard Gordeau, the match being stopped after Tuli was kicked in the face causing the loss of a tooth.[4] This was to be Tuli's only MMA fight.[3] The match has been described as one of the top five David and Goliath match-ups in MMA history.[4]
| Professional record breakdown | ||
| 1 match | 0 wins | 1 loss |
| By knockout | 0 | 1 |
| By submission | 0 | 0 |
| By decision | 0 | 0 |
| Result | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 0-1 | Gerard Gordeau | TKO (soccer kick) | UFC 1 | November 12, 1993 | 1 | 0:26 | Denver, Colorado, United States |
Teila Tuli (Taylor Wiley) had a role in the comedy film Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2007) as a hotel worker who befriended the main character Jason Segel. He also has a recurring role on Hawaii Five-0.