Soa Palelei: The big-hearted cage fighter banned from a children’s hospital

Australian "cage" fighter Soa Palelei, said he was "deeply hurt" after a hospital banned him from meeting with sick children, amid concerns over the perceived violence of his sport.

Palelei has so far raised over $43,000 (AUS$61,000) as part of a fundraising event which will benefit children at the Princess Margaret Hospital in Western Australia.

As part of the fundraising event, Palelei, along with retired rugby player Matt Fuller, will workout 24 hours non-stop on an arm grinder -- a machine much like a bicycle for the arms.

Palelei is pictured on top of a competitor during an Ultimate Fighting Championship bout Brazil in August.

However, the hospital stood by its decision to ban Palelei from the photoshoot.

The UFC is a mixed martial arts competition drawing on the styles of boxing, judo, wrestling, jiu-jitsu and karate, among others. Created in the U.S. in 1993, the UFC now hosts around 40 live events around the world annually, and is particularly popular in Brazil, Canada, and Japan.

Palelei (pictured center) is a UFC three-times world champion, with a black belt in Brazilian Ju-Jitsu. He is currently ranked 24th in the world in the UFC's heavyweight division.

While mixed martial arts contests are allowed in Western Australia, the state bans the UFC's eight-sided fenced enclosure, called "the Octagon."

Western Australian Sport and Recreation Minister, Mia Davies, said: "The State Government does not support the use of a fenced enclosure for Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) contests, believing it is not in the best interests of the wider community to endorse or encourage participation of fighting in a 'cage.'
"MMA contests are allowed in Western Australia in a boxing ring."

A similar ban on the use of "cages" was lifted in the Australian state of Victoria earlier this year, with the first such contest now set to be held in November.