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

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/unfiltered-with-dave-letele-7213949/55-lolo-heimuli
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/unfiltered-with-dave-letele-7213949/55-lolo-heimuli.md
Podcast: [Unfiltered with Dave Letele](https://stenobird.com/podcast/unfiltered-with-dave-letele-7213949)
Published: 2026-06-20T17:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/geoff-holmes0/episodes/55-Lolo-Heimuli-The-Man-Behind-New-Zealands-Greatest-Fighters-e3l1u8e
Audio file: https://anchor.fm/s/11301ccf0/podcast/play/121747150/https%3A%2F%2Fd3ctxlq1ktw2nl.cloudfront.net%2Fstaging%2F2026-5-20%2F426501667-44100-2-982ce6a91d9b.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/unfiltered-with-dave-letele-7213949/episodes/55-lolo-heimuli
Duration seconds: 4654

## Resource

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 .

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## Transcript

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