Maki Pitolo moves to middleweight, meets Charles Byrd at UFC 250

Maki Pitolo is moving to middleweight.

On June 6, Pitolo (12-5 MMA, 0-1 UFC) will face fellow Dana White’s Contender Series signee Charles Byrd in a 185-pound matchup June 6 at UFC 250. The promotion announced the booking during the UFC 249 broadcast on Saturday.

UFC 250 takes place June 6 but does not have an official location or venue, though the UFC Apex in Las Vegas is possible, pending the resumption of combat sports in the sate of Nevada. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims likely on ESPN and ESPN+.

In October 2019 at UFC 243, Pitolo made his promotional debut at welterweight. A moderate favorite across major sports books, Pitolo was upset by home country fighter Callan Potter via unanimous decision.

In February, Pitolo was scheduled for his second UFC bout against Takashi Sato. However, Pitolo fell ill as a result of his weight cut and the fight was canceled.

Fortis MMA’s Byrd (10-6 MMA, 1-2 UFC) will be looking to snap a two-fight losing skid. After winning his UFC debut against John Phillips in March 2018, Byrd was finished with strikes in back-to-back fights against Darren Stewart and Edmen Shahbazyan.

The latest UFC 250 lineup now includes:

Amanda Nunes vs. Felicia Spencer – for women’s featherweight title
Raphael Assuncao vs. Cody Garbrandt
Jussier Formiga vs. Alex Perez
Ian Heinisch vs. Gerald Meerschaert
Devin Clark vs. Alonzo Menifield
Charles Byrd vs. Maki Pitolo