Despite rumors and early reports following the cancelation of his scheduled ufc-paris" class='tag-link'>UFC Paris bout due to weight management issues, it appears Losene Keita will remain on the UFC roster.
During the post-fight press conference for UFC Paris, UFC Senior Vice President of International and Content David Shaw stated that Keita has not been cut by the promotion.
"I believe [Keita has a future in the UFC]," Shaw said. "Honestly, I don't know the specifics. I think a few of us were surprised the fight didn't happen, but in any case, it's going to be good to have him on the roster."
Keita had been scheduled to take part in a fight with Patricio Pitbull following Keita's signing to the UFC about three weeks ago. Keita, however, missed the non-title featherweight limit by three pounds, causing the bout's cancelation.
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Losene Keita Has Not Been Cut By The UFC
Not long after the incident, Pitbull reportedly refuted any apology attempts from Keita, criticizing him for the weight miss and calling him "Fat Panther."
Keita made his professional MMA debut in 2015, going on to be a notable presence in Oktagon MMA. In 2022, he'd win the Oktagon interim lightweight title before becoming undisputed champion about four months later. Keita would then interim featherweight gold in 2023 before becoming undisputed featherweight champ before the end of the year, becoming the first champ-champ in Oktagon MMA history.
Keita would regain the Oktagon lightweight title before the end of his time with the promotion by winning the promotion's lightweight tournament, defeating Agy Sardari, Predrag Bogdanović, Mateusz Legierski, and Ronald Paradeiser in 2024.