Soa 'The Hulk' preparing for the 24-hour challenge with Matt Fuller. Credit:Facebook / Soa 'The Hulk' Palelei "I was like 'really'? I was dumbfounded in a way. "You want me to do a 24-hour grind, put my body on the line for you, raise money for you guys, but you won't let me see the kids? "It's disappointing .... I can't go in there to see the kids." Mixed Martials Arts is not banned in WA but the state remains the only jurisdiction in Australia, and reportedly the world, which outlaws the UFC's fighting enclosure known as the Octagon.

Palelei is upset the hospital took the stance because he is a UFC fighter. Palelei, 38, said that if PMH had done some background research on him it would see charity work he has done in the past. "I have four movies that are coming out and I'm also an ambassador for Make-a-Wish Foundation," he said. "I've made four wishes for kids that have come true, I'm one of their major ambassadors and The Rock (famous pro wrestler-turned-Hollywood actor) is also is an ambassador for them. "I was quite surprised but it is what it is... I don't see why my sport is different to say if Danny Green went in."

A PMH spokeswoman said it had received a request to set up a photo with Fuller and Palelei but decided to ban "The Hulk" from the hospital because of his association with UFC. "Following the significant media coverage of controversy surrounding UFC fighting, which is currently banned in Western Australia, a decision was made by the PMH executive that it would not be appropriate to have a representative of the sport visit the hospital," she said. "PMH 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, and the fact it is banned in WA, executive staff felt this was the best decision at the time." PMH said the photo shoot was rescheduled with just Fuller.

"To our knowledge, Mr Palelei did not attend PMH and was not turned away from the hospital," she said. Earlier in the week, Premier Colin Barnett said he didn't approve of cagefighting because it was "aggressive and violent". "I'm not against boxing, I'm not against wrestling and so on, but I don't think we need to go down the path of 'cagefighting' in WA and I think the vast majority of people would agree with me," he said. "I know it's got a huge following, but in WA we make decisions on policy for the right reasons, not simply money reasons." Follow WAtoday on Twitter