Aaron Pico vs. Losene Keita
UFC 333 · October 24, 2026 · Etihad Arena · Main Card 2:00 PM ET
The brief
- What kind of fight
- Wrestle-boxer power vs. late-notice knockout artist
- Finish likelihood
- High
- The line
- No line posted yet
- The stakes
- Featherweight · Main Card
The read
Pico's wrestling gives him a route to neutralize Keita's power that Allen never had to rely on, and a short-notice opponent facing his first ranked-level test is a real advantage for the wrestling side of the fight.
Keita's own knockout power means every second on the feet is live regardless of preparation time, and his last performance was a one-punch finish of a durable opponent.
Lean Pico on the wrestling and preparation gap, with Keita's power the clearest route to spoiling it early.
The matchup
Arnold Allen's late withdrawal turns this into a pure power collision between two of the featherweight division's hardest hitters.
Pico brings elite wrestling to fall back on if the knockout isn't there, while Keita arrives on the shortest of notice riding the highlight-reel knockout of his career and no time to game-plan around Pico's takedowns.
The step up in competition and short turnaround are real questions for Keita, but he has finished 11 of his 17 wins and needs only one clean shot to change the fight.
Tale of the tape
| 14-5 | Record | 17-2 |
| 29 | Age | 28 |
| 5'8" | Height | 5'9" |
| 70" | Reach | 72" |
| Orthodox | Stance | — |
| United States | Country | Guinea |
| Jackson Wink MMA | Team | Lamiro Fight Club |
The numbers
Career UFC averages. Red bar = statistical edge.
The fighters
Aaron Pico 14-5
Aaron Pico is a 29-year-old American featherweight and the division's No. 12-ranked contender, a decorated amateur wrestler and longtime Bellator prospect who pairs a world-class wrestling base with real knockout power in his hands. His UFC debut ended in a first-round knockout loss to Lerone Murphy in August 2025, but he picked up his first Octagon win with a unanimous decision over Patricio Pitbull at UFC 327 in April 2026. With durable veteran Arnold Allen forced out injured, he now faces late replacement Losene Keita at UFC 333.
- WPatricio Pitbull · Decision (unanimous)UFC 327 · April 11, 2026
- LLerone Murphy · KO (spinning back elbow)UFC 319 · August 16, 2025
- WHenry Corrales · TKO (punches)PFL vs. Bellator: Champs · February 24, 2024
Losene Keita 17-2
“Black Panther”
Losene 'Black Panther' Keita is a 28-year-old featherweight born in Guinea and fighting out of Lamiro Fight Club in Belgium, a former two-division Oktagon champion with 11 of his 17 career wins by knockout or TKO. He dropped a split decision to Nathaniel Wood in his UFC debut before scoring a viral one-punch knockout of Muhammad Naimov at UFC Paris earlier this month, and now steps in on short notice for the injured Arnold Allen against Aaron Pico at UFC 333.
- WMuhammad Naimov · KO (punch)UFC Paris · September 6, 2026
- LNathaniel Wood · Decision (split)UFC Fight Night 270 · March 21, 2026