Maki Pitolo

Maki Ikaika Maleko Pitolo[1] (born November 24, 1990) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Middleweight division. A professional mixed martial artist since 2013, Pitolo has also competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship and Bellator MMA.

Maki Pitolo
BornMaki Ikaika Maleko Pitolo[1]
(1990-11-24) November 24, 1990
Honolulu, Hawaii, United States
Other namesCoconut Bombz
NationalityAmerican
Height5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Weight185 lb (84 kg; 13 st 3 lb)
DivisionMiddleweight
Welterweight
Reach73.5 in (187 cm)
StanceOrthodox
Fighting out ofNanakuli, Hawaii
TeamWest Oahu MMA[2]
Gracie Technics[2]
Years active2013–present
Mixed martial arts record
Total26
Wins15
By knockout8
By submission3
By decision4
Losses11
By knockout4
By submission5
By decision2
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]

DWCS 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 Fight Night 168 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: Smith vs. Rakić.[15] He lost the fight via unanimous decision.[16]

Pitolo faced Julian Marquez on February 13, 2021 at UFC 258.[17] He lost the bout via an anaconda choke in the third round.[18]

Pitolo was scheduled to face Duško Todorović on June 5, 2021 at UFC Fight Night: Rozenstruik vs. Sakai.[19] However, two weeks ahead of the bout, Pitolo had to pull out due to unknown reasons and was replaced by Gregory Rodrigues.[20][21]

The bout between Pitolo and Todorović was rescheduled on December 4, 2021 at UFC on ESPN 31.[22] He lost the fight via technical knockout in round one.[23]

On January 12, 2022, it was announced that Pitolo was no longer on the UFC roster.[24]

Post-UFC

Pitolo made his first appearance outside of the UFC at Tuff-N-Uff 127 on March 4, 2022, facing Fernando Gonzalez. He won the bout via unanimous decision.[25]

Pitolo made his debut with Eagle FC against Doug Usher on May 20, 2022 at Eagle FC 47. At weigh ins, Maki Pitolo and Doug Usher missed weight and the bout changed from Middleweight to Light Heavyweight. Pitolo weighed in at 187.4 pounds while Usher weighed in at 189 pounds.[26] Pitolo won by knockout in the opening minute of the fight.[27]

Pitolo faced Daniel Compton on November 20, 2022 at Tuff-N-Uff 130 for the TUFF Middleweight Championship. He was submitted in the third round by the way of a kimura, after which Compton went into the crowd to confront Pitolo's fans.[28]

Pitolo faced Joel Bauman on September 8, 2023 at Gamebred Fighting Championship 5, losing the bout via second round head kick TKO.[29]

Personal life

Maki and his wife Chasity have two children, Miya and Madyx.[3]

Mixed martial arts record
Professional record breakdown
26 matches 15 wins 11 losses
By knockout 8 4
By submission 3 5
By decision 4 2
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Loss 15–11 Joel Bauman TKO (head kicks and punches) Gamebred Fighting Championship 5 September 8, 2023 2 2:36 Jacksonville, Florida, United States Bare Knuckle MMA.
Loss 15–10 Daniel Compton Submission (kimura) Tuff-N-Uff 130 November 20, 2022 3 1:39 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States For the TUFF Middleweight Championship.
Win 15–9 Doug Usher KO (punches) Eagle FC 47 May 20, 2022 1 0:30 Miami, Florida, United States Catchweight (189 lb) bout; Pitolo and Usher both missed weight.
Win 14–9 Fernando Gonzalez Decision (unanimous) Tuff-N-Uff 127 March 4, 2022 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Loss 13–9 Duško Todorović TKO (punches) UFC on ESPN: Font vs. Aldo December 4, 2021 1 4:34 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Loss 13–8 Julian Marquez Submission (anaconda choke) UFC 258 February 13, 2021 3 4:17 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
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 lb) 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 lb) 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 lb) 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 Welterweight debut.

[30]

See also

References
  1. Mixed martial arts show results Date: July 9, 2019
  2. Bryanna Fissori. "Maki Pitolo Prepares for the Biggest Hawaii MMA Card in Over a Decade". mymmanews.com.
  3. "Maki Pitolo". ufc.com.
  4. "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.
  5. Thomas Gerbasi (August 19, 2019). "Quitting Not In Maki Pitolo's Vocabulary". ufc.com.
  6. Farah Hannoun (July 10, 2019). "Maki Pitolo agrees with Dana White, will return to welterweight for UFC run". mmajunkie.com.
  7. Alexander K. Lee (29 August 2019). "Callan Potter meets Maki Pitolo at UFC 243". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
  8. Ryan Fortune (5 October 2019). "UFC 243 Results: Callan Potter Decisions Maki Pitolo". Cageside Press. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
  9. Jesse Holland (February 21, 2020). "UFC cancels Auckland fight following unexpected illness". mmamania.com.
  10. Nolan King (May 12, 2020). "Maki Pitolo moves to middleweight, meets Charles Byrd at UFC 250". mmajunkie.com.
  11. Zac Pacleb (August 6, 2020). "Maki Pitolo Can Enjoy The Ride Again". ufc.com.
  12. Bryan Tucker (June 6, 2020). "UFC 250 Results: Nunes vs. Spencer". MMAFighting.com. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
  13. David Tees (2020-07-27). "Darren Stewart faces Maki Pitolo at UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. Oleinik". fightful.com. Retrieved 2020-07-28.
  14. Christian Shimabuku (August 8, 2020). "Hawaii's Maki Pitolo loses to Darren Stewart at UFC Fight Night 174". Khon2. Retrieved August 8, 2020.
  15. Staff (2020-08-13). "Kasanganay earns UFC contract; first fight set for Aug. 29". lrbears.com. Retrieved 2020-08-24.
  16. Bitter, Shawn (2020-08-29). "UFC Vegas 8 Results: Impa Kasanganay Defeats Maki Pitolo in Debut". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2020-08-30.
  17. Farah Hannoun (2020-12-04). "Julian Marquez vs. Maki Pitolo added to UFC 258". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2020-12-04.
  18. McClory, Mike (2021-02-13). "UFC 258 Results: Returning Julian Marquez Submits Maki Pitolo". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2021-02-14.
  19. Guilherme Cruz and Damon Martin (2021-03-24). "UFC adds middleweights Dusko Todorovic, Maki Pitolo to June 5 card". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2021-03-24.
  20. "Maki Pitolo scratched from UFC Vegas 28". KHON2. 2021-05-23. Retrieved 2021-05-23.
  21. Farah Hannoun (May 25, 2021). "With Maki Pitolo out, LFA champ Gregory Rodrigues steps in to face Dusko Todorovic at UFC Fight Night 189". MMAjunkie.com.
  22. DNA, MMA (2021-11-13). "Maki Pitolo vs. Dusko Todorovic opnieuw ingepland, ditmaal voor 4 december in Las Vegas". MMA DNA. Retrieved 2021-11-13.
  23. Doherty, Dan (2021-12-04). "UFC Vegas 44: Dusko Todorovic Stops Maki Pitolo in First Round". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2021-12-05.
  24. "UFC parts ways with Maki Pitolo, three other fighters". MMA Junkie. 2022-01-12. Retrieved 2022-01-12.
  25. "Maki Pitolo vs. Fernando Gonzalez, Tuff-N-Uff 127 | MMA Bout". Tapology. Retrieved 2022-03-16.
  26. "Eagle FC 47 weigh-in results: Yorgan De Castro nears heavyweight limit vs. Junior Dos Santos". MMA Junkie. 2022-05-19. Retrieved 2022-05-22.
  27. Al-Shatti, Shaun (2022-05-20). "Eagle FC 47 video: Maki Pitolo retires Doug Usher with vicious 30-second faceplant KO". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2022-05-22.
  28. Calhoun, Curtis (2022-11-21). "Tuff-N-Uff 130 Ends With Chaotic Post-Fight Melee". MMA News. Retrieved 2023-01-14.
  29. Newswire, MMA Fighting (2023-09-08). "Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA Results: dos Santos vs. Werdum". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2023-09-17.
  30. Sherdog.com. "Maki "Coconut Bombz" Pitolo". Sherdog. Retrieved 2020-08-07.
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