Maki Pitolo
Maki Ikaika Maleko Pitolo (born November 24, 1990)[2] is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional mixed martial artist since 2013, Pitolo has also competed for Bellator MMA.
| Maki Pitolo | |
|---|---|
| Born | Maki Ikaika Maleko Pitolo November 24, 1990 Honolulu, Hawaii, United States |
| Other names | Coconut Bombz |
| Nationality | American |
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) |
| Weight | 185 lb (84 kg; 13 st 3 lb) |
| Division | Middleweight Welterweight |
| Reach | 73 1⁄2 in (187 cm) |
| Fighting out of | Nanakuli, Hawaii |
| Team | West Oahu MMA[1] Gracie Technics[1] |
| Years active | 2013–present |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 20 |
| Wins | 13 |
| By knockout | 7 |
| By submission | 3 |
| By decision | 3 |
| Losses | 7 |
| By knockout | 2 |
| By submission | 3 |
| By decision | 2 |
| Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog | |
Background
Pitolo played football in high school, and started training mixed martial arts to stay in shape during the offseason.[3] Eventually after seeing Forrest Griffin vs. Stephan Bonnar, he decided to pursue a career in the sport.[3] He has a little brother Alphonso, who is also a mixed martial artist.[4]
Mixed martial arts career
Early career
In the beginning of his mixed martial arts career, Pitolo fought primarily in Hawaii regional scene. After racking up a record of 6–2, he fought five times for the Victory Fighting Championship where he amassed three straight wins before getting stopped in two consecutive fights. After the tenure in VFC, Pitolo faced Thiago Rela at CFFC 68 on October 21, 2017, winning the fight via first-minute knockout. He was expected to face Stephen Regman at CFFC 70 on March 24, 2018, but the bout was cancelled.
Pitolo was scheduled to face Chibwikem Onyenegecha at Dana White's Contender Series 13 on July 17, 2018, but a shoulder injury forced him to withdraw from the bout and he was replaced by Anthony Adams.[5]
Bellator
After the one-off bout in Cage Fury FC, Pitolo faced Chris Cisneros in a rematch at Bellator 213 on December 15, 2018.[5] He won the fight via third-round submission.[5]
DWTCS and Ultimate Fighting Championship
After the lone bout in Bellator, Pitolo was once again invited to Dana White's Contender Series. Pitolo faced Justin Sumter at Dana White's Contender Series 19 on July 9, 2019. He won the fight via first round technical knockout and was awarded a UFC contract.[5]
As per Dana White's wish after the bout, Maki made his return to welterweight in his UFC debut and faced Callan Potter on 5 October 2019 at UFC 243.[6][7] He lost the fight via unanimous decision.[8]
Pitolo was scheduled to face Takashi Sato at UFC on ESPN+ 26 on February 23, 2020. However, Pitolo was unable to make weight and the bout was scrapped from the card.[9]
Due to the botched weight cut preceding the previous fight, Pitolo returned to Middleweight division for his next fight against Charles Byrd at UFC 250 on June 6, 2020.[10][11] He won the bout via second round technical knockout,[12]
Pitolo faced Darren Stewart on 8 August 2020 at UFC Fight Night 174.[13] He lost in the first round via guillotine choke.[14]
Pitolo was tabbed for a quick turnaround and faced promotional newcomer Impa Kasanganay on August 29, 2020 at UFC Fight Night 175.[15] He lost the fight via unanimous decision.[16]
Pitolo is expected to face Julian Marquez on February 13, 2021 at UFC 258.[17]
Personal life
Maki and his wife Chasity have two children, Miya and Madyx.[3]
Mixed martial arts record
| Professional record breakdown | ||
| 20 matches | 13 wins | 7 losses |
| By knockout | 7 | 2 |
| By submission | 3 | 3 |
| By decision | 3 | 2 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 13–7 | Impa Kasanganay | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Smith vs. Rakić | August 29, 2020 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Loss | 13–6 | Darren Stewart | Submission (guillotine choke) | UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. Oleinik | August 8, 2020 | 1 | 3:41 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 13–5 | Charles Byrd | TKO (punches) | UFC 250 | June 6, 2020 | 2 | 1:10 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Loss | 12–5 | Callan Potter | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 243 | October 5, 2019 | 3 | 5:00 | Melbourne, Australia | Welterweight bout. |
| Win | 12–4 | Justin Michael Sumter | TKO (punches) | Dana White's Contender Series 19 | July 9, 2019 | 1 | 1:37 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Middleweight debut. |
| Win | 11–4 | Chris Cisneros | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Bellator 213 | December 15, 2018 | 3 | 2:40 | Honolulu, Hawaii, United States | Catchweight (180 lbs) bout. |
| Win | 10–4 | Thiago Rela | KO (punch) | Cage Fury FC 68 | October 21, 2017 | 1 | 0:59 | Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States | Catchweight (173.2 lbs) bout; Pitolo missed weight. |
| Loss | 9–4 | Dakota Cochrane | Submission (guillotine choke) | Victory FC 58 | July 22, 2017 | 2 | 4:58 | Omaha, Nebraska, United States | |
| Loss | 9–3 | Kassius Kayne | KO (punch) | Victory FC 54 | December 9, 2016 | 2 | 0:05 | Omaha, Nebraska, United States | Lost the VFC Welterweight Championship. |
| Win | 9–2 | Kassius Kayne | Decision (unanimous) | Victory FC 52 | July 16, 2016 | 5 | 5:00 | Omaha, Nebraska, United States | Won the VFC Welterweight Championship. |
| Win | 8–2 | Justin Guthrie | TKO (punches) | Victory FC 50 | May 21, 2016 | 1 | 0:48 | Topeka, Kansas, United States | |
| Win | 7–2 | Andrews Nakahara | TKO (punches) | Victory FC 49 | April 1, 2016 | 2 | 2:21 | Omaha, Nebraska, United States | |
| Win | 6–2 | Adam Smith | Submission (guillotine choke) | Destiny MMA: Na Koa 9 | April 11, 2015 | 1 | 3:23 | Honolulu, Hawaii, United States | |
| Win | 5–2 | Pono Pananganan | TKO (punches) | Ainofea Cage Fights | February 15, 2015 | 1 | 2:44 | Lihue, Hawaii, United States | |
| Win | 4–2 | Paul Norman | TKO (punches) | RWE: Just Scrap | 14 November 2014 | 1 | 4:31 | Hilo, Hawaii, United States | Catchweight (180 lbs) bout. |
| Win | 3–2 | Taki Uluilakepa | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Destiny MMA: Na Koa 7 | November 2, 2014 | 2 | N/A | Honolulu, Hawaii, United States | |
| Win | 2–2 | Coates Cobb-Adams | Decision (unanimous) | X–1: Jara vs. Vitale | September 26, 2014 | 3 | 5:00 | Honolulu, Hawaii, United States | |
| Loss | 1–2 | C.J. Marsh | TKO (punches) | Destiny MMA: Na Koa 5 | May 3, 2014 | 1 | N/A | Honolulu, Hawaii, United States | |
| Loss | 1–1 | Chris Cisneros | Submission (armbar) | Destiny MMA: Proving Grounds 2 | August 24, 2013 | 1 | N/A | Honolulu, Hawaii, United States | |
| Win | 1–0 | Jason Camarillo | Decision (unanimous) | X–1: Mayhem at the Mansion 4 | February 16, 2013 | 3 | 5:00 | Puhi, Hawaii, United States |
References
- Bryanna Fissori. "Maki Pitolo Prepares for the Biggest Hawaii MMA Card in Over a Decade". mymmanews.com.
- Mixed martial arts show results Date: July 9, 2019
- "Maki Pitolo". ufc.com.
- "Inspired by his brother's victorious fight against drug abuse, Hawai'i's Maki Pitolo returns to the UFC this Saturday". khon2.com. August 6, 2020.
- Thomas Gerbasi (August 19, 2019). "Quitting Not In Maki Pitolo's Vocabulary". ufc.com.
- Farah Hannoun (July 10, 2019). "Maki Pitolo agrees with Dana White, will return to welterweight for UFC run". mmajunkie.com.
- Alexander K. Lee (29 August 2019). "Callan Potter meets Maki Pitolo at UFC 243". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
- Ryan Fortune (5 October 2019). "UFC 243 Results: Callan Potter Decisions Maki Pitolo". Cageside Press. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
- Jesse Holland (February 21, 2020). "UFC cancels Auckland fight following unexpected illness". mmamania.com.
- Nolan King (May 12, 2020). "Maki Pitolo moves to middleweight, meets Charles Byrd at UFC 250". mmajunkie.com.
- Zac Pacleb (August 6, 2020). "Maki Pitolo Can Enjoy The Ride Again". ufc.com.
- Bryan Tucker (June 6, 2020). "UFC 250 Results: Nunes vs. Spencer". MMAFighting.com. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
- David Tees (2020-07-27). "Darren Stewart faces Maki Pitolo at UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. Oleinik". fightful.com. Retrieved 2020-07-28.
- Christian Shimabuku (August 8, 2020). "Hawaii's Maki Pitolo loses to Darren Stewart at UFC Fight Night 174". Khon2. Retrieved August 8, 2020.
- Staff (2020-08-13). "Kasanganay earns UFC contract; first fight set for Aug. 29". lrbears.com. Retrieved 2020-08-24.
- Bitter, Shawn (2020-08-29). "UFC Vegas 8 Results: Impa Kasanganay Defeats Maki Pitolo in Debut". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2020-08-30.
- Farah Hannoun (2020-12-04). "Julian Marquez vs. Maki Pitolo added to UFC 258". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2020-12-04.
- Sherdog.com. "Maki "Coconut Bombz" Pitolo". Sherdog. Retrieved 2020-08-07.