Losene Keita steps into UFC 333 banger vs. Aaron Pico - MMA Junkie

Someone call the fire department. A new featherweight firefight has been added to UFC 333.

Losene Keita has stepped in to fight Aaron Pico on the Oct. 24 event at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. Two sources with knowledge of the change confirmed the news to MMA Junkie, but asked to remain anonymous because the promotion has not yet made a formal announcement. MMA Fighting first reported Keita's potential inclusion.

Less than two weeks removed from a big knockout victory, Keita (17-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC) replaces Arnold Allen (21-4 MMA, 12-3 UFC), who was originally announced to be fighting Pico (14-5 MMA, 12-4 UFC) on the card but has been battling injuries and won't be able to compete.

Keita competed Sept. 5 at UFC Paris when he devastated Muhammad Naimov with a big one-punch knockout inside one round – and then pulled off an all-time celebration by scaling the fence and taking a cageside seat to admire his handiwork.

The moment was a long time coming for Keita, who was long regarded as one of the best fighters outside the UFC, but who has had a rocky start since joining it. After his weight miss caused a bout cancellation vs. Patricio Freire, Keita lost a unanimous decision to Nathaniel Wood in his UFC debut. However, the Naimov knockout has gotten him back on track and then some – landing him in the ranked matchup opposite Pico.

It's been a long and winding journey for Pico, who continues to take two steps forward and one step back as he crafts into an elite featherweight fighter. After a highlighted career developing through Bellator and into PFL, Pico joined the UFC in 2025. He lost his debut to Lerone Murphy via violent spinning back elbow, but rebounded in April with a beautiful performance against the aforementioned Freire.