UFC President Dana White, among others, paid tribute to the late Jake Stoneking, a sick child who put attending UFC 171 on his bucket list of things to do before he passed away, died on Thursday.
Below are just a few of the messages on Twitter from fans, fighters and reporters who acknowledged his passing earlier this week.
Jake it was awesome to meet you. I hope u checked everything off ur bucket list. It was awesome to hang with you. RIP http://t.co/IhfhlvGX4w
— Dana White (@danawhite) October 18, 2014
Jake Stoneking, the young man who went to UFC 171 after putting attend a UFC event on his bucket list, passed away yesterday. Rest in peace.
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) October 18, 2014
This morning I woke up to the news that the world has another angel. Jake Stoneking is the teenage… http://t.co/2MiwdeYZ6y
— Melissa (@Mis_Lissah) October 17, 2014
The following was written about young Jake’s experiences getting his bucket list wish fulfilled:
“This morning I woke up to the news that the world has another angel. Jake Stoneking is the teenage boy from Oregon who was diagnosed with terminal cancer but refused to let it get him down. He wrote a bucket list and #2 was to see a live UFC event, we made sure we took care of that one. This past March Dana and Lorenzo had us fly Jake and his family to Dallas where we put him up at the fighter hotel, gave him 2nd row VIP seating, got the backstage tour, VIP experience, walked out with Johnny Hendricks before he fought, and so much more. He had the most infectious smile the entire night and in a very short time he made a huge impact on my life. Jake, if heaven has facebook I hope you’re reading this and please know that you made a difference in my life. I barely knew you but I will never forget you.”
Below is an Instagram video of the late Jake Stoneking talking about the number two item on his bucket list, which was to attend a UFC event.
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Jake Stoneking crosses off "Attend a live UFC event" from his bucket list. You have a fighters spirit, Jake! It was an honor to have you at #UFC171! #NeverStopFighting #CancerSucks #JakeStoneking See full album of Jake's weekend and read his story at Facebook.com/UFC
Photos, courtesy of Instagram, of Jake enjoying his experience, can be seen below.
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This morning I woke up to the news that the world has another angel. Jake Stoneking is the teenage boy from Oregon who was diagnosed with terminal cancer but refused to let it get him down. He wrote a bucket list and #2 was to see a live UFC event, we made sure we took care of that one. This past March Dana and Lorenzo had us fly Jake and his family to Dallas where we put him up at the fighter hotel, gave him 2nd row VIP seating, got the backstage tour, VIP experience, walked out with Johnny Hendricks before he fought, and so much more. He had the most infectious smile the entire night and in a very short time he made a huge impact on my life. Jake, if heaven has facebook I hope you're reading this and please know that you made a difference in my life. I barely knew you but I will never forget you.
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