No. 1-ranked Power Slap super heavyweight Makini “Big Mak” Manu recently signed with World Elite Sumo (WES) and will make his professional sumo debut as part of the promotion’s one-night, 12-man, open-weight tournament on Sat., Sept. 26, 2026 at Kaiser Permanente Arena in Santa Cruz, California.
“Makini Manu has made an impact in competitive sports, including amateur sumo wrestling throughout his life and, with his size and athletic ability, we expect him to have a great career as a professional in World
Elite Sumo,” said Abdelrahman “Sandstorm” Shalan, the CEO of World Elite Sumo and one of the league’s competitors.
The 32-year-old Manu holds a Power Slap record of 6-1 with three knockouts. “Big Mak” is also a former collegiate football star for the University of Utah and Utah Valley University All-American rugby player. Manu would go on to compete professionally in both football (XFL) and rugby.
The WES tourney will also feature the aforementioned Shalan as well as Asahisho Kota from Japan; “Rui Junior” representing Brazil; Soslan “Big Bear” Gagloev representing Russia; and Giorgi Kvirchishvilli representing Georgia. Additional tournament fighters will be announced in the coming days.
Priced from $50, tickets for the WES event are on sale now at Ticketmaster.com.
