The Pitbull fight is the kind of high-profile matchup that you typically don’t see for fighters making their UFC debuts, but the hype around Keita means that he\u2019s expected to make an immediate impact on the promotion\u2019s featherweight division. <\/p>\n
Following a brief three-fight amateur career that included a pair of first-round finishes, Keita turned pro in late 2019 and managed to put together a 3-0 record before the year was over. <\/p>\n
READ MORE: UFC calls in 21-year-old fighter on less than two weeks’ notice for Noche UFC debut<\/a><\/p>\n A run of four-straight knockouts in the first round was capped off by Keita\u2019s Oktagon MMA debut against Karol Ry\u0161av\u00fd in 2021. The following year, \u201cBlack Panther\u201d defeated Ronald Paradeiser to win the promotion\u2019s interim lightweight belt before he knocked out longtime MMA veteran Ivan Buchinger in just three minutes to become the undisputed 155 lbs. champion. <\/p>\n Losene Keita was a two-division champion in Oktagon MMA. \/ (Oktagon MMA)<\/p>\n A move down to featherweight in 2023 saw Keita also claim that division\u2019s interim belt, but unfortunately a title unification bout with Mate Sanikidze ended in just over a minute when Keita broke his foot and was unable to continue. <\/p>\n The 27-year-old rebounded from the first (and so far only) loss of his MMA career when he returned to win the Oktagon MMA featherweight belt in late 2023, which kicked off a five-fight win streak that most recently saw Keita achieve double-champ status<\/a> when he reclaimed the lightweight title in a rematch with Paradeiser. <\/p>\n Keita draws one of the most decorated names in MMA history for his promotional debut at UFC Paris, as Pitbull is a 45-fight veteran that carved out his impressive legacy as a two-division champion in Bellator MMA. <\/p>\n Yair Rodriguez (red gloves) fights against Patricio Pitbull (blue gloves) during UFC 314 at Kaseya Center. \/ Sam Navarro-Imagn Images<\/p>\n Now 38 years old, Pitbull came up short in his own UFC debut against former interim featherweight titleholder Yair Rodriguez at UFC 314 but rebounded with unanimous decision win against Dan Ige in July. <\/p>\n READ MORE: Top UFC contender reportedly returns from devastating injury for UFC Qatar fight<\/a><\/p>\n Although he may be the most highly-touted of the group, Keita is far from the only major name making his promotional debut at UFC Paris. Axel Sola, Robert Ruchala, Ante Delija, and Harry Hardwick are all also set to step into the Octagon for the first time, with Hardwick coming in on extremely short notice<\/a> to replace Fares Ziam for a matchup with Kau\u00ea Fernandes. <\/p>\n \u2022\u00a0Ex-champions Aung La N Sang & Zebaztian Kadestam set to meet at ONE Fight Night 36<\/a><\/p>\n \u2022\u00a0Ilia Topuria\u2019s brother reportedly set for UFC fight with dangerous KO artist<\/a><\/p>\n \u2022\u00a0Tom Aspinall\u2019s father teases possible boxing future for UFC heavyweight champ<\/a><\/p>\n \u2022\u00a0Kickboxing champion reportedly set to follow UFC stars Adesanya & Pereira to MMA<\/a><\/p>\n Stick with\u00a0MMAKnockout<\/a>\u00a0for more FREE coverage of the UFC and MMA.<\/p>\n Follow MMAKnockout on\u00a0Facebook<\/a>,\u00a0Twitter<\/a>, and\u00a0Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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