UFC on ESPN+ 33: Maki Pitolo vs. Impa Kasanganay Play-by-Play

Only weeks after earning his UFC contract on TV series “Dana White’s Contender Series,” Impa Kasanganay made his UFC debut against Maki Pitolo. Here’s how the fight went.

Bout 6: Maki Pitolo (13-6) vs. Impa Kasanganay (7-0) (Middleweight)

The fight was a close one early on, with both fighters landed good strikes. Pitolo was connecting with hard punches against Kasanganay. Kasanganay put Pitolo in a clinch in the third minute, with Pitolo landing a punch when they separated. Kasanganay scored with a hard overhand right in the fourth minute. Kasanganay lande strikes in the final moment that had Pitolo backed up against the fence. Pitolo was able to block and avoid numerous shots, putting himself out of trouble. A cut opened around the left eyebrow of Pitolo in the final minute of the fight.

Kasanganay started the second round strong, continuing to throw strikes while Pitolo played more of a defensive role. Pitolo connected with a few punches in the third minute of the round that landed clean. Pitolo clinched with Kasanganay in the fourth minute, although they separated eventually. Kasanganay landed a hard series of strikes in the final minute while exiting clinch.

Kasanganay peiced together a clean punch combination to the body and head in the second minute of the final round. Kasanganay was consistently landing combinations of punches that had Pitolo on the backfoot. Going to the scorecards after three rounds, Pitolo secured his win (30-27, 30-27 & 30-27).

RESULT: Impa Kasanganay def. Maki Pitolo via Decision, Unanimous

My Scorecard:

Live coverage for the full event can be read here.