#55 Lolo Heimuli: The Man Behind New Zealand’s Greatest Fighters

#55 Lolo Heimuli: The Man Behind New Zealand’s Greatest Fighters

June 20, 2026 · 1h 18m · Episode 55

About this episode

Lolo Heimuli shares his journey and experiences in New Zealand combat sports, discussing his coaching career and the fighters he has trained.

For decades, Lolo Heimuli has been one of the most respected figures in New Zealand combat sports — training more than 100 national champions and 10 world champions, including names like Ray Sefo, Mark Hunt, Shane Cameron, and future coaching great Eugene Bareman. In this episode, Dave sits down with Lolo to talk about his journey from Tonga to New Zealand, building Balmoral Lee Gar Gym from a church hall, the sacrifices behind a lifetime of coaching, and shares some hilarious stories from the golden era of New Zealand fighting. A powerful kōrero about purpose, sacrifice, and helping others succeed. Podcast produced by Fanaticals .

People in this episode

Host: Dave Letele

Guest: Lolo Heimuli

Topics covered

Keywords

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Balmoral Lee Gar Gym

Places: New Zealand, Tonga

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