Fast-growing sport becomes Isi Fitikefu’s obsession: “Every time I play a game I get pumped up”

Isi Fitikefu’s competitive fire doesn’t go out when he leaves the gym. The Tongan-Australian welterweight is simply trading gloves for paddles.

The 33-year-old faces undefeated American Chase Mann A Fighting Night 39 on Friday, January 23 in Bangkok, the Lumpinee Stadium in Thailand. The welterweight MMA clash will air live in US primetime on Amazon Prime Video. But between the training sessions and fight preparation, Fitikefu found an unexpected passion that has become his mental reset and family bond with his wife Dipz Paea and three children Malia, William Ross and Miya.

Pickleball entered Fitikefu’s life in late 2025 thanks to his wife’s gentle persistence. The Sydney resident initially resisted like many skeptics of the world’s fastest growing sport. His wife kept encouraging him to give it a try. He finally gave in and wrapped his hand around a paddle shortly before Christmas.

Something immediately clicked. The same intensity he brings to training at Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Smeaton Grange transferred seamlessly to the court. He introduced the game to his brothers and sisters, after which his three children followed. What started as a reluctant participation turned into a real family passion that brings them together twice a week for competitions.

“Man, I’m a pickleball master. I tell everyone,” he said. “I’d like to think I’m the Roger Federer of pickleball here in Australia. I like to think I am, I really am, but that’s just what I say in my head to pump me up every time I play a game.”

Isi Fitikefu finds mental reset through paddle competition

Isi Fitikefu’s professional life revolves around strikes, submissions and fights. Pickleball offers something very different from following trends or chasing the next big thing.

The sport offers moments of joy between the intensity of fight camps and the demands of professional martial arts. His career includes wins over Valmir Da Silva and Hiroyuki Tetsuka, establishing him as a legitimate welterweight contender. But the sport of paddleboarding allows him to decompress, reset and be present with the people he loves most, instead of constantly thinking about techniques and opponents.

His competitive fire burns as brightly on the court as it does in the ring. His three children and siblings imbibed that fierce DNA, turning every session into spirited battles. The family does not participate in official ranking competitions because they do not want to scare other people with their intensity. When they play, it feels like they are competing for the rankings every time.

“It helps me take my mind off training and mixed martial arts,” he said. “It calms me down, it helps me relax for days, and not only that, but more importantly I get to spend time with my loved ones. All jokes aside, it’s always nice to spend time and watch them grow, at home or on the job. I never grew up with a father. I just grew up with a single mother. And I just want to be that father that I needed as a child for my children.”