\n<\/p>\n
Losene Keita was not expected to be part of Saturday\u2019s UFC 333 card in Abu Dhabi, yet he will be, taking on Aaron Pico after Arnold Allen dropped out of the fight.<\/p>\n
\u201cSurprise, surprise,\u201d as Keita (17-2) put it during Wednesday\u2019s media day for the event.<\/p>\n
Asked how the fight came together, the former Oktagon MMA champ revealed that he\u2019d been targeting the winner of Pico vs. Allen. \u201cI got called after my fight in Paris. I think two weeks after my fight if I\u2019m not mistaken. Something like that,\u201d he recalled.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was one of the fights I asked for. After my fight in Paris, I was like \u2018I want to fight the winner of Pico and Allen.’\u201d One of Keita\u2019s friends then tipped him off that Allen might pull out. \u201cI called the matchmakers, my manager, said \u2018I want to fight in Abu Dhabi, I don\u2019t care against who.’\u201d Two weeks later came the response: Allen was out, Keita was in.<\/p>\n
Both men are 1-1 in the UFC, and both built their names elsewhere before arriving in the promotion. In Pico\u2019s case, that was in Bellator, where he quickly rose up the featherweight ranks. For Keita, it was Europe\u2019s Oktagon MMA, where he claimed both featherweight and lightweight gold.<\/p>\n
Much has been made of Pico being knocked out by Lerone Murphy in his UFC debut, though he\u2019d later bounce back against old Bellator rival Patricio Pitbull. Still, he was also stopped by Adam Borics and Henry Corrales earlier in his career, leading to a narrative that Pico might be a bit \u201cchinny.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI see a lot of chin allegations on social media about him, but that don\u2019t concern me,\u201d Keita stated on that front. \u201cFighters, we evolve, his chin gets better maybe, or maybe not. I don\u2019t really care. I know I\u2019m a guy, every time I throw a shot it\u2019s to hurt him. I don\u2019t really care how it\u2019s going to end. The only thing I know, I\u2019m going to beat him. I think I\u2019m a better martial artist than him, and it\u2019s my time.\u201d<\/p>\n