Australian Children’s Hospital Bans UFC Fighter Soa Palelei From Visiting

According to CNN, Australian UFC fighter Soa Palelei has been banned from visiting the children's hospital he has been supporting.

The Princess Margaret Hospital told the heavyweight that he would not be welcome at a recent photo-shoot for a fundraiser's he's involved in because of the "perceived violence of his sport."

The Australian native told CNN that he was deeply hurt, stating that he was "a person with a life outside of UFC, with a son who suffers from absence epilepsy, and not to mention all the charitable work I have done over the year."

A spokesperson for the hospital told CNN:

"Following the significant media coverage surrounding UFC and 'cage' fighting, which is currently banned in Western Australia, a decision was made … that it would not be appropriate to have a representative of the sport visit the hospital.

"Princess Margaret Hospital has a duty of care to its patients, their families and staff. With many people in the community having very strong views about this particular sport, due to its perceived level of violence, executive staff felt this was the best decision at the time."

It's difficult to image that families would be offended, especially if they were to consider the $43,000 he has helped raise for the facility so far. It's also important to note that MMA is not banned in Western Australia—only the use of the Octagon is. It's the last state in Australia that has not lifted this ban, in a country that has been slow to accept the validity of the sport.

It's a flashback to the days where MMA was still referred to as 'cage fighting', and John McCain still hated it. But more than that, it's a weird and ignorant move that even institutions back in the dark ages wouldn't have pulled.

Call the hospital and let them know how you feel about its idiotic executive staff's decision at +61-8-9340-8222 or email them at pmhcls@health.wa.gov.au.