One of the brightest prospects to emerge from the European MMA scene in recent years has officially signed with the UFC.
Losene Keita (16-1) is set to make his debut inside the Octagon when he takes on former Bellator champion Patricio “Pitbull” Freire (37-8 MMA, 1-1 UFC) at UFC Paris on September 6.
Keita, who captured championship belts in two different weight classes under the OKTAGON MMA banner, announced the news on Friday in a video on his social media accounts.
“I just signed with the UFC,” Keita revealed. “I already conquered Europe, now it’s time to conquer the world—so let’s go.”
Keita became lightweight champion in his most recent outing at OKTAGON 65 in December, when he knocked out Ronald Paradeiser, adding that belt to the featherweight title he had claimed 18 months earlier.
The Guinea-born Belgian compiled a 10-1 record in the Czech-based promotion, with his lone loss coming in a featherweight title fight against Mate Sanikidze in 2023, when he broke his leg in the opening round.
“I’m excited to see what he can do on the world stage,” OKTAGON play-by-play commentator Bryan Lacey told Fighters Only. “He’s been phenomenal part of OKTAGON and now he gets to test himself against the best. He’s so exciting in the cage, he’s amazing on the mic, he’s got a great story and a great personality. He’s very marketable and he always delivers – there’s not a single dull Losene Keita fight.”
Keita has been on the UFC’s radar for some time. He revealed in early 2024 that he had twice turned down offers to sign with the promotion before renewing his deal with OKTAGON — a decision that ultimately paid off when he went on to win the €1 million Tipsport Gamechanger tournament.
Having taken the time to develop into an elite-level fighter, Lacey believes the “Black Panther” now enters the UFC’s featherweight division ready to make a statement.
“In my opinion, he already fits nicely into that top ten at 145 pounds,” Lacey says. “It’s his job now to go and prove me right. When you look at some of those names – Yair Rodriguez, Diego Lopes, Josh Emmett, Aljamain Sterling – those are the tests that will tell us the truth about Losene Keita. We’re about to find out whether he’s one of the best in the world.”
