Who is Jordan Mailata’s wife, Niki Ikahihifo-Bender? All you need to know about Eagles star’s family

NFL player Jordan Mailata switched from rugby to American football in 2018. When he was 20, he performed at a workout hosted by former NFL player Darren Bennett, which attracted an array of scouts.

The Philadelphia Eagles took notice of Mailata's stature, power and quickness and picked him in the seventh round of the 2018 draft. The Eagles were prepared to take a punt on Mailata even though he had never played American football at the time. After five years, Mailata is now a starter for a team that recently played in the Super Bowl.

Over the weekend, Jordan Mailata got married. In 2018, he had met Niki Ikahihifo-Bender, his newlywed wife, at the Reading Terminal Market. They got engaged at the same place earlier this year.

Niki Bender was born in December 1991. She and her sister, Jade, grew up in Alaska. Thomas Bender and Talita Ikahihifo, her parents, are both medical professionals.

Bender received her first degree from Baldwin University. She subsequently attended New York University and studied psychology as her Major. She later enrolled at Duke University's law school, where she studied law and completed a Master's degree in psychology there.

While pursuing her Masters degree, Niki Ikahihifo-Bender interned at BP and Lane Powell PC. She began working as an associate at Norton Rose Fulbright in New York in 2016 after completing her studies.

After more than two years, she moved to Philadelphia and became an associate at Ballard Spahr LLP. On her LinkedIn page, Bender says that she works as an intellectual property associate.

Over the weekend, Jordan Mailata wed his longtime love, Niki, and photos of their union have been shared on social media.

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Jordan Mailata's hidden talent was out in the open at his wedding

At his wedding in Napa Valley, the 26-year-old former rugby star sang a rendition of Stevie Wonder's 1976 classic "Isn't She Lovely".

"Isn't she lovely" is one of Wonder's biggest records from the timeless album "Songs in the Key of Life". The song was written to commemorate Wonder's daughter Aisha Morris' birth.

According to the New York Post, Mailata's love for musical theater began when he was a student at Condell Park High School in New South Wales, Australia. There, he competed in a talent show comparable to X-Factor with classmate Rachel Small.

Several of Jordan Mailata's Philadelphia Eagles colleagues, including quarterback Jalen Hurts and fellow offensive tackle Lane Johnson, attended the wedding.