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Impa Kasanganay will make his octagon debut 11 days after earning a UFC contract on the Contender Series.
UFC president Dana White revealed at the end of Contender Series Season 4: Week 2 on Tuesday that Kasanganay had already agreed to compete on the UFC’s Aug. 22 event in Las Vegas before awarding him one of five contracts on the night. In the event’s post-fight press conference, White told members of the media that the two-time DWCS winner will face fellow series alum Maki Pitolo in his octagon debut.
“He’s going to fight Pitolo,” White said. “Maki Pitolo, from Contender (Series), too.”
MMA Fighting confirmed the targeted booking with multiple sources close to the situation who requested anonymity since contracts have not been signed.
Pitolo earned a contract this past season with a first-round finish of Justin Sumter 13-months ago. “Coconut Bombz” is 1-2 during his UFC run, which includes a second-round TKO win over Charles Byrd at UFC 250 in May. The West Oahu MMA 185er competed recently at UFC Vegas 6 and was submitted in the first round by Darren Stewart.
Kasanganay improved to 7-0 with a unanimous decision win over Anthony Adams to kick off Tuesday night’s event at the UFC APEX. “Tshilobo” had defeated Kailan Hill a year prior on the Contender Series and picked up an impressive decision victory, but wasn’t awarded a contract. The Gym-O standout has wins while competing for LFA, King of the Cage, and Island Fights.
The UFC’s Aug. 22 event will be headlined by a bantamweight bout between Pedro Munhoz and Frankie Edgar.