{"id":420592,"date":"2026-01-18T05:31:08","date_gmt":"2026-01-18T05:31:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/420592\/"},"modified":"2026-01-18T05:31:08","modified_gmt":"2026-01-18T05:31:08","slug":"im-always-ready-for-a-round-inside-isi-fitikefus-love-for-pickleball","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/420592\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018I\u2019m Always Ready For A Round\u2019 \u2013 Inside Isi Fitikefu\u2019s Love For Pickleball"},"content":{"rendered":"

When Tongan-Australian MMA star Isi \u201cDoxz\u201d Fitikefu<\/a> is done smashing pads in his gym, he\u2019s dropping perfect dinks on the pickleball court with the same intensity.<\/p>\n

For the 33-year-old who faces undefeated American promotional newcomer Chase \u201cMannimal\u201d Mann<\/a> on Friday, January 23, the paddle sport isn\u2019t just a break from the demands of competition.<\/p>\n

Pickleball is his mental reset, his family bonding time with his wife and three kids \u2013 Malia, William Ross, Miya \u2013 and proof that his hunger to compete burns just as bright, whether he\u2019s hunting for a finish or chasing a match point.<\/p>\n

Before he returns to action on American primetime for this explosive welterweight MMA battle at ONE Fight Night 39: Rambolek vs. Dayakaev on Prime Video<\/a>, here\u2019s how his love for the sport started.<\/p>\n

The Pickleball Journey Begins<\/p>\n

Like millions, Fitikefu rode the wave of one of the fastest-growing sports \u2013 a phenomenon that\u2019s exploded across the world over the past five years.<\/p>\n

The Sydney native doesn\u2019t just play the game. He dominates it \u2013 or at least that\u2019s what he tells himself every time he trades boxing combinations and submission techniques for kitchen volleys and baseline rallies.<\/p>\n

Fitikefu told onefc.com<\/a>:<\/p>\n

\u201cMan, I\u2019m a pickleball master. I say it to everyone. I\u2019d like to think that I\u2019m the Roger Federer of pickleball here in Australia. I like to think I am, really, but that\u2019s just what I say in my head to get me pumped every time I play a game.\u201d<\/p>\n

The appeal isn\u2019t about following trends or chasing the next big thing for Fitikefu, though. It\u2019s all about finding moments of joy between the intensity of fight camps and the demands of professional combat sports.<\/p>\n

The Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Smeaton Grange representative\u2019s journey into pickleball began in late 2025, sparked by the gentle persistence of his wife, who kept encouraging him to give it a try.<\/p>\n

Like many newcomers, \u201cDoxz\u201d was skeptical at first. But once he finally gave in and wrapped his hand around the paddle, something instantly clicked:<\/p>\n

\u201cI started just before Christmas last year, November 2025. My partner, Dipz Paea, was telling me, \u2018Oh, come do it, come do it.\u2019 And I was just like, \u2018Man, I don\u2019t want to do it.\u2019 And then I just told myself, \u2018You know what, I\u2019ll come do it.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd I ended up loving it, and now I introduced it to my brothers and sisters, and then my kids, and now they\u2019re falling in love with it, too.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Fitikefus\u2019 Favorite Pastime Today<\/p>\n

What began as reluctant participation quickly transformed into genuine passion \u2013 not just for the ONE Championship star, but for his entire family.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Fitikefu\u2019s brothers, sisters, and three children followed suit. They embraced the game, and it became a shared language and a way to spend quality time together. The family meets up twice a week for a round or two.<\/p>\n

For someone whose professional life revolves around strikes, submissions, and fighting, pickleball offers something entirely different \u2013 a chance to decompress, reset, and be present with the people he loves most.<\/p>\n

He continued:<\/p>\n

\u201cIt helps me take my mind off of training and mixed martial arts. It calms me down, it helps me switch off for days, and not only that, but, more importantly, I get to spend time with my loved ones.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fitikefu\u2019s competitive fire that has earned him two dominant wins against Valmir \u201cJunior\u201d Da Silva<\/a> and Hiroyuki \u201cJapanese Beast\u201d Tetsuka<\/a> inside the promotion lights up just as brightly on the pickleball court \u2013 but he\u2019s not the only one.<\/p>\n

His three kids and siblings have absorbed that fierce DNA, turning every session into spirited battles.<\/p>\n

The Tongan-Australian man shared:<\/p>\n

\u201cWe do have the ranking matches here, but we don\u2019t play in those \u2013 my family is already competitive. My brother to my younger sisters, they don\u2019t like to lose. When we play is like it feels like we\u2019re playing for a ranking every time. We don\u2019t want to play with others because we don\u2019t want to scare other people.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs for my kids, they\u2019re really putting up a challenge against me there. Now, it\u2019s like I have to catch up to them because they\u2019re getting faster and better. They\u2019re getting sharper. They\u2019re getting more well-rounded.\u201d<\/p>\n

A Hero On And Off The Court<\/p>\n

While pride and bragging rights are always on the line, Fitikefu admits it\u2019s all for fun and games.<\/p>\n

Growing up without a father figure left a mark. Now, as a dad himself, the Sydney native is determined to be present, engaged, and actively involved in his children\u2019s lives. Pickleball has become one of the ways he fulfills that promise, which creates lasting memories.<\/p>\n

The 33-year-old reflected:<\/p>\n

\u201cAll jokes aside, it\u2019s always fun to spend time and watch them grow, at home or on the courts. I never grew up with a dad. I only grew up with a single mom. And I just want to be that dad that I needed when I was a kid for my kids.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pickleball, in many ways, has become a source of joy and a reminder to Fitikefu that competition doesn\u2019t always have to involve high stakes. Sometimes, it\u2019s about spending time with the people you love, teaching your kids<\/a> the importance of self-confidence and sportsmanship.<\/p>\n

As such, when he\u2019s done with his battle against Mann at ONE Fight Night 39, the self-declared Roger Federer of pickleball cannot wait to swap punches for dinks, lobs, and volleys on the court.<\/p>\n

He concluded:<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m ready for a game when I get this fight out of the way. It\u2019s nice to have something to do with the kids other than the usual bonding time at home or in the gym. But, yeah, I\u2019m always ready for a round of pickle.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"When Tongan-Australian MMA star Isi \u201cDoxz\u201d Fitikefu is done smashing pads in his gym, he\u2019s dropping perfect dinks…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":420593,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[570],"tags":[64,63,786,785,85],"class_list":{"0":"post-420592","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mma","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-fighting","11":"tag-mma","12":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/420592","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=420592"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/420592\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/420593"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=420592"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=420592"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=420592"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}