“Not a better matchup for Losene Keita than Patricio Pitbull”, says ex-UFC vet

Losene Keita is fighting Patricio Pitbull at UFC Paris, with many hyped up about the former two-division Oktagon MMA champ’s UFC debut, including a current Oktagon MMA fighter. That fighter being referenced is also a former UFC vet, Khalid Taha, who does battle with Edgar Delgado Jimenez at Oktagon 75 on September 13th.

Taha appeared on Bowks Talking Bouts as someone looking to ascend to the vacant featherweight title throne that was left empty by Keita’s arrival in the UFC. When addressing his thoughts on how Keita’s UFC debut will go against Patricio Pitbull and what the former decorated Oktagon MMA fighter’s ceiling could be as a UFC contracted fighter, Taha said,

“I think there’s not a better matchup for Losene Keita than Patricio Pitbull. Pitbull is a striker. Pitbull is even shorter than I am. So he’s much shorter than Keita. Pitbull comes over from Bellator. He has like; he lost his first fight. His second fight was almost a close decision to Dan Ige. I think if you put Keita against a guy like Movsar Evloev, for example, right now, he will have no chance.”

Losene Keita should face the victor of a key UFC 320 bout after UFC Paris, according to Taha

Losene Keita is already having his sophomore UFC fight planned out by Khalid Taha, who referenced an intriguing featherweight fight at UFC 320 whereby the victor of that fight and the victor of Keita vs. Pitbull at UFC Paris should compete next.

When getting into the specifics of all of that and putting on his UFC matchmaker hat, Taha continued,

“But I see [Losene] Keita winning this fight on Saturday. Maybe he will get this done per decision, but I think he’s going to get a unanimous decision, and then it depends. In my opinion, let Keita fight [Patricio] Pitbull and win this fight. After this fight, you have Josh Emmett fighting, what was his name? The Moroccan guy… Let Keita beat Pitbull this one. And after this one, let him get the winner of Emmett against Youssef Zalal.”

“It’s going to be also the perfect matchup for him, and then he starts to like get used to it. To be in the UFC, fighting in the UFC, fighting in the top 15, top 10, you know. But if you put him right now against the crazy wrestlers like Evloev and these kind of guys; like people say like [Alexander] Volkanovski and all this stuff, it’s going to be too early. Like, don’t rush him too much, but I think he’s going to do very good there.”