Losene Keita breaks social media silence after botched weight cut cancels hyped UFC Paris debut

Losene Keita, regarded by many as one of the top prospects in MMA, missed weight for the first time in his career ahead of UFC Paris.

UFC featherweight Losene Keita’s highly anticipated promotional debut against former Bellator champ Patricio ‘Pitbull’ Freire was canceled Friday due to a botched weight cut.

Keita, who signed with the UFC earlier this year after a decorated start to his career, weighed in at 149 lbs at Friday’s official weigh-ins in Paris. It was the first time he had missed weight in his career, and the fight was immediately canceled by the matchmakers.

It was a stunning setback for Keita ahead of one of the most hyped debuts in UFC featherweight history. Keita entered UFC Paris with a 16-1-0 record with 10 wins by knockout.

Losene Keita opens up on shocking withdrawal from hyped UFC Paris debut

In a recent Instagram post, Keita apologized for his last-second removal from UFC Paris.

“Dear Fans, I need to start to say sorry to everyone, to Pitbull and his team, to the UFC, Hunter, and to my fans! I’m so sorry to let you down,” Keita began.

“In 25 fights i never missed weight, I have always been profesional with weight, with the promotions and to my opponents, I’ve made 5 title fights, two of them at Featherweight, where there is no allowance and I never missed weight, unfortunatly this happened when it couldn’t ever happen, in my UFC Debut!!

“I’m truly sorry, this was for sure the first time and last it happen on my career.
I am devastated with this and I just hope UFC give me another chance, because I live for this, this was my dream!! Thank you for your support !”

As of this writing, it’s uncertain if Keita will get a second chance in the promotion or if the matchmakers will bring an end to his short-lived tenure. Keita hasn’t fought since a TKO win over Ronald Paradeiser at OKTAGON 65 last December.

As for what’s next for Freire, he’s open to getting a spot on the upcoming UFC Rio card, featuring a Charles Oliveira vs. Rafael Fiziev headliner.