Introduction
Saturday, April 29th, Ghanan-Belgian featherweight prospect Losene Keita will be in action for Oktagon, where he will be looking continue his winning ways against Jakub Tichota. He will be looking for another win, as Keita looks to continue to his winning ways and eventually score a contract with the UFC. He represents Lamiro Fight Club, an unknown camp in MMA. Let’s take a closer look at this prospect as this week’s “Prospect Spotlight.”
Strengths
Muay Thai: Watching Keita fight is a real treat, especially if you’re looking for a skilled, exciting striker. Keita has good Muay Thai skills, using the art of the eight limbs to bludgeon his opponents. Six of his ten wins come by way of knockout in a variety of ways. He has good straight punches and hooks, and he mixes them in well together. His kicks are solid as well, though it seems he uses them a lot to set up his hands. He’s also a fast starter, as he comes out of the box looking to score the early knockout. His biggest victory to date was a devastating knockout over European MMA mainstay Ivan Buchinger, which really put Keita on the map.
Athleticism: In addition to his strong striking ability, Keita is a great natural athlete that combines power and speed when he fights in the cage. Natural athleticism is often an aid to many fighters, as it allows them to hold an intangible edge over his opponents. Keita will rarely be the worse natural athlete in the cage with whoever he fights.
Needs Improvement
Counter-Wrestling Question Marks: One thing the jury will be out on until he fights somebody with a strong skill set is Keita’s wrestling. Most of the guys he’s fought are strikers or guys with average-at-best wrestling. The featherweight division, as you move up in talent level, is crowded with fighters with strong wrestling bases. We really need to see Keita take on a wrestler to get a better idea of where he’s completely at right now.
Outlook
UFC Bonus Collector: Keita is the type of fighter that Dana White loves, in that he’s exciting and has a striking base that gets the boss on his fight. He’s been devastating as of recently, which has really put him on the map with many scouts. He has a chance to be special, but at the very least, he will be a guy who builds a highlight reel in the UFC and score Fight Night bonuses. He could develop into a consistently top-25 featherweight if he continues to round out his game. I would be shocked if Keita is not on the UFC roster by next year.
MMA Intel 