We have to talk about Losene Keita, UFC must sign him.

[HuskySamoan]

I think Losene shows very strong offensive wrestling. I also think he's ridiculously athletic which is likely to give him a good sprawl, he's also very strong so I think he can turn guys off the cage.

I dunno about beating this new Yair with a guard, dude seems like a problem. I think you're underrating Kattar too. Giga I think can lose to good wrestlers but always dangerous on the feet. I do agree Zombie is past his best now.

So, I am skeptical of Emmett and by skeptical, I don't think he's ever a day in his life been at the level to be a top 5 guy despite his rank. He caught Yair with big shots he loaded up on and didn't set up and was able to take Yair down. Where was Yairs guard vs Max or Edgar or Jeremy Stephens? I'm not convinced by the Emmett fight that somehow he's evolved an entire part of his game that what, a year ago Max exploited? Max Holloway the lanky striker? Yeah gun to my head, I'm taking guys like Suleymanov and Omarov to work Yair bad on the mat.

I need to see it from Keita, he is for sure athletic and strong, his offensive wrestling hasn't looked bad but against mostly outmatched guys which doesn't tell us everyone, let alone a lot. None of those outmatched guys were even known to be decent wrestlers.

I think Kattar and Yair are great, if each 10 guys fought all 10 others I think the W/L ratio between the two would be very close personally. I think I favor the outside the UFC guys because I suspect some of the UFCs guys would underperform.

 

[Hellowhosthat]

So, I am skeptical of Emmett and by skeptical, I don't think he's ever a day in his life been at the level to be a top 5 guy despite his rank. He caught Yair with big shots he loaded up on and didn't set up and was able to take Yair down. Where was Yairs guard vs Max or Edgar or Jeremy Stephens? I'm not convinced by the Emmett fight that somehow he's evolved an entire part of his game that what, a year ago Max exploited? Max Holloway the lanky striker? Yeah gun to my head, I'm taking guys like Suleymanov and Omarov to work Yair bad on the mat.

I need to see it from Keita, he is for sure athletic and strong, his offensive wrestling hasn't looked bad but against mostly outmatched guys which doesn't tell us everyone, let alone a lot. None of those outmatched guys were even known to be decent wrestlers.

I think Kattar and Yair are great, if each 10 guys fought all 10 others I think the W/L ratio between the two would be very close personally. I think I favor the outside the UFC guys because I suspect some of the UFCs guys would underperform.

Emmett is solid. I agree he's kind of overranked but he's a strong wrestler who hits hard as fuck (although not as hard as he used to pre knee injury, he used to be the hardest hitting FW ever imo). I think someone like Omarov would have a rougher night than you think against someone like Emmett, gonna be tough to get that dude down.

 

[fortheo]

So, I am skeptical of Emmett and by skeptical, I don't think he's ever a day in his life been at the level to be a top 5 guy despite his rank. He caught Yair with big shots he loaded up on and didn't set up and was able to take Yair down. Where was Yairs guard vs Max or Edgar or Jeremy Stephens? I'm not convinced by the Emmett fight that somehow he's evolved an entire part of his game that what, a year ago Max exploited? Max Holloway the lanky striker? Yeah gun to my head, I'm taking guys like Suleymanov and Omarov to work Yair bad on the mat.

I need to see it from Keita, he is for sure athletic and strong, his offensive wrestling hasn't looked bad but against mostly outmatched guys which doesn't tell us everyone, let alone a lot. None of those outmatched guys were even known to be decent wrestlers.

I think Kattar and Yair are great, if each 10 guys fought all 10 others I think the W/L ratio between the two would be very close personally. I think I favor the outside the UFC guys because I suspect some of the UFCs guys would underperform.

Yair, has always had an active guard, even in that Edgar fight. Edgar was just an elite top game guy and made yair pay for playing guard. In the Stephen's fight, he gassed and already had the fight in the bag, so he probably didn't feel the need to be active off his back. He also hit a nice reversal on max and had max caught in a sub attempt at the end of a round if I remember correctly. Also, he set up the arm bar quickly on ortega. Honestly, go throughout his career and he's always shown an active guard. That doesn't mean it's good enough for guys like edgar, who shut down Bjj world champs.

 

[HuskySamoan]

Emmett is solid. I agree he's kind of overranked but he's a strong wrestler who hits hard as fuck (although not as hard as he used to pre knee injury, he used to be the hardest hitting FW ever imo). I think someone like Omarov would have a rougher night than you think against someone like Emmett, gonna be tough to get that dude down.

I'd pick a quick mover like Khizriev to beat Emmett, I'd pick Parnasse and Keita too. Patricio as well and Loughnane. Perhaps others. He matches up well vs a guy like Omarov, I don't disagree.

 

[HuskySamoan]

Yair, has always had an active guard, even in that Edgar fight. Edgar was just an elite top game guy and made yair pay for playing guard. In the Stephen's fight, he gassed and already had the fight in the bag, so he probably didn't feel the need to be active off his back. He also hit a nice reversal on max and had max caught in a sub attempt at the end fofa round if I remember correctly. Also, he set up the arm bar quickly on ortega. Honestly, go throughout his career and he's always shown an active guard. That doesn't mean it's good enough for guys like edgar, who shut down Bjj world champs.

If Max can score takedowns along the cage reliably and stay out of trouble, I wouldn't pick Yair to beat Evloev or several guys outside the UFC. Yairs takedown defense is very exploitable, his cardio is exploitable and while his guard is good I'm not confident it's so good it's going to compensate vs strong wrestlers with great top games.

 

[fortheo]

If Max can score takedowns along the cage reliably and stay out of trouble, I wouldn't pick Yair to beat Evloev or several guys outside the UFC. Yairs takedown defense is very exploitable, his cardio is exploitable and while his guard is good I'm not confident it's so good it's going to compensate vs strong wrestlers with great top games.

Max got reversed one time, and stuck in a submission attempt eating back hands another time. I wouldn't really call that staying out of trouble. Max did get some decent top control in off one of the takedowns I guess, but it was hardly reliable success. Max also has a granite chin that allowed him to walk through hell until he could slow yair down and reliably get in on those takedowns. I'm not convinced evloev has superior cardio, either.

Yair is very annoying to deal with everywhere, and I expect we'll see it again with volk. I still got volk winning, but I'm more worried about Yair than I ever was about Islam.

I do hope you're right though.

 

[Koala]

Oh shit, do you have a link to his history in regards to that?.

https://cagesidepress.com/2022/06/1...fessional-fighter-with-ufc-now-in-his-sights/
https://www.thescrap.co/fighter-in-depth-losene-keita/
https://www.7sur7.be/faits-divers/l...on-mais-une-autre-affaire-ressurgit~acf797c3/

I understand that he went at least for fighting with migrants in streets and a home heist at gunpoint at what he said was a drug dealer (cannabis)
Don't ask me how we went only 4 months in jail for that

 

[HuskySamoan]

Max got reversed one time, and stuck in a submission attempt eating back hands another time. I wouldn't really call that staying out of trouble. Max did get some decent top control in off one of the takedowns I guess, but it was hardly reliable success. Max also has a granite chin that allowed him to walk through hell until he could slow yair down and reliably get in on those takedowns. I'm not convinced evloev has superior cardio, either.

Yair is very annoying to deal with everywhere, and I expect we'll see it again with volk. I still got volk winning, but I'm more worried about Yair than I ever was about Islam.

I do hope you're right though.

Yeah, I'm way more skeptical of Yairs guard and cardio than you are. I also don't think Volk has the same kind of wrestling and grappling game/level of some of the guys outside the UFC personally, so if Volk can exploit Yair in this regard, which I suspect it does raise more red flags.

Yair is squirrelly, he's going to be hard to control early and he's definitely an offensive typhoon everywhere. The Emmett and Ortega performances haven't wowed me like they seem to have others.

 

[BigOlJeet]

Rome wasn't built in one day, Conor was humble and grateful for blueberries back when he was on social welfare. This guy has already been in jail who's to say he can't become a bigger trainwreck than Conor once the money and fame hit him? Have a little patience and faith.

I always love it when Conor nuthuggers act as if he has a rags to riches story. His girlfriend paid his way plus he was taking welfare cheques and he had a trades job. He wasn't exactly a bum before Floyd changed his life.

 

[fortheo]

Yeah, I'm way more skeptical of Yairs guard and cardio than you are. I also don't think Volk has the same kind of wrestling and grappling game/level of some of the guys outside the UFC personally, so if Volk can exploit Yair in this regard, which I suspect it does raise more red flags.

Yair is squirrelly, he's going to be hard to control early and he's definitely an offensive typhoon everywhere. The Emmett and Ortega performances haven't wowed me like they seem to have others.

Oh, I share your skepticism about his cardio 100 percent. I just am skeptical about evloev's cardio too lol. Yair is definitely prone to gassing, but you gotta go through hell to make him gas. I do think his guard is very good, but not something the very best top game guys can't deal with, especially as the fight goes on and they become sweaty and yair fatigues.

 

[HuskySamoan]

https://cagesidepress.com/2022/06/1...fessional-fighter-with-ufc-now-in-his-sights/
https://www.thescrap.co/fighter-in-depth-losene-keita/
https://www.7sur7.be/faits-divers/l...on-mais-une-autre-affaire-ressurgit~acf797c3/

I understand that he went at least for fighting with migrants in streets and a home heist at gunpoint at what he said was a drug dealer (cannabis)
Don't ask me how we went only 4 months in jail for that

He was part of an armed robbery where they were stealing drugs? That's not good if true, I haven't seen anything on that but the video and second article are in German I think?

 

[Koala]

He was part of an armed robbery where they were stealing drugs? That's not good if true, I haven't seen anything on that but the video and second article are in German I think?

Dutch - he is from the part of Belgium speaking Dutch
Article is in French
Google translate version

On March 17, 2016, in the middle of the night, a gang of young people broke into the home of a fifty-year-old in Izegem (West Flanders), near Roeselare. To enter, they smash a window and the front door with an ax and show up in possession of an alarm gun, a dummy weapon and a knife. One of the attackers stands guard in front of the house while the other four “take care” of the owner of the premises. The leader? Losene Keita, according to the verdict.

“The man was terrified”
Judge Wouter Haelewyn is formal: it was Losene Keita who directed the operation and “gave orders to others”. He attacked the victim with extreme violence, threatening him with an axe. "The man was terrified," says the one who was then in charge of the case. He escaped with three broken ribs and stab wounds. The loot? Some cannabis, change, a Samsung cell phone, a watch and an Xbox.

Losene admitted the facts
Losene Keita admitted the facts and apologized to the victim during the hearing. He could have been sentenced to 15 years in prison for his savage burglary. But the court took into account his young age - just 18 - his clean record and his desire to redeem himself. He will eventually be sentenced to 275 hours of community service. The heaviest sentence of the bunch but nonetheless lenient.

street fight
However, shortly after these facts, Losene Keita found himself involved in a street fight, with a new conviction (in absentia) at the key: five months in prison. During a police check in early September, the agents realized that he had never served his sentence. He was therefore imprisoned in Ypres prison in the process.

He minimizes the facts
Finally released on Wednesday and immediately arrested by our Flemish colleagues at the exit, Losene Keita minimized the gravity of this fight, “between Afghans and Africans”, which occurred at the time: “A girl was attacked and I defended her “, he said facing the camera. As for the victim of the Izegem night raid, it was "a dealer who had sold drugs to his 14-year-old nephew", he adds. A detail which is however not mentioned anywhere in the verdict, recalls HLN.be

 

[HuskySamoan]

Dutch - he is from the part of Belgium speaking Dutch
Article is in French
Google translate version

Home invasion, the victim had broken ribs and stab wounds, was threatened with an axe and robbed....and they gave the 18 year old Keita community service? Holy fuck.

I gotta say and maybe this makes me a piece of shit, I'd just like to see Keita fight. I hope he can get a visa regardless of all of this but that's a pretty damn bad wrap. I need to be a Belgian criminal.

 

[UFCIsNOTRigged]

There probably is not a better prospect in all of MMA right now that isn't already signed to a major promotion (KSW, UFC, Bellator, ONE, ACA, PFL).

Great fighter but not the best prospect in all of MMA not signed to a major promotion.

Baki Chamsoudinov

Never committed a home invasion in his life either.

 

[HuskySamoan]

Great fighter but not the best prospect in all of MMA not signed to a major promotion.

Baki Chamsoudinov

Never committed a home invasion in his life either.

Baki is awesome, but he's not even my top WW prospect not signed to a major promotion. That's EASILY Samandar Murodov, after that it's debatable between Cezary Oleksiejczuk, Baysangur Baki Chamsoudinov and Lazy King depending on if Lazy king is actually going to drop to 155lbs or stay at 170lbs. So far, Keita has been more impressive and vs much better competition. Baki is younger, hope he gets signed onto the contender series this year.

 

[Local Plata]

Conor was amazing when the UFC signed him, young, surging, super talented with emphatic wins. Keita is a more impressive prospect relative to who he's beaten and being undefeated yet there is less noise, probably in part because Conor was Irish. That said the double champ at 145 and 155, being 25/26 years old, knocking Ivan Buchinger out...there's some real parallels.

The UFC was trying desperately to break into the UK/European market. Bisping couldn't get it done as hard as they tried, so they took their learnings with Bisping and just took out the steps where he failed so Conor wouldn't.

 

[Tokoloko]

No, it's not a Shara Bullet thread but hoping to manifest the same result. There probably is not a better prospect in all of MMA right now that isn't already signed to a major promotion (KSW, UFC, Bellator, ONE, ACA, PFL). Coming out of Guinea Africa, Losene Keita's raw athleticism reminds me of a young Jose Aldo. A Featherweight himself and only 25 years old at 11-0 Keita is fighting out of Belgium and is the Belgian promotion Oktagon's double champ, interim at Featherweight and official at Lightweight. These guys he's beating, he's absolutely destroying, the level of speed, power and athleticism is pretty rare.

His last three opponents all got beaten to a pulp and knocked out, he fought yesterday vs Jakub Tichota who was a 5-1 pro and 14-5 amateur from the Czech republic

Prior to the Tichota massacre, Losene Keita fought Sweden's Samuel Bark also known as Sammon Dekkers, Bark got that nickname fighting in Thailand where he was well respected reaching a top 10 rank and even training out of a Thai only gym. Samuel bark made the transition from Muay Thai to MMA at 27 and was 8-1 going into his bout with Keita.

here's a highlight real of Samuel Bark's muay thai career so you can better appreciate what Losene Keita does to him.



and then here's the fight between Samuel Bark and Losene Keita. (skip to 8:50 for the start of the fight)



And lastly prior to the Samuel Bark bludgeoning Keita fought long time MMA veteran 39-7 Ivan Buchinger, finishing him in violent fashion




I'm not going to lie, this has a bit of a Conor McGregor circa Cagewarriors vibe to it. Keita is one of those prospects I'm relatively certain if you dropped into the top 10 of the UFC he'd hold his own, if not contend.

Aaand it happens again. - Keita recently declined offers from UFC, PFL, One FC, KSW and will appear in Oktagon's GAMECHANGER (LW pyramid with 1 000 000 euro prize pool)




FIGHTERS

Winner of last year pyramid (WW) was Bojan Veličkovič -

 

[Hellowhosthat]

Getting some decent cash before making a UFC move in a year makes sense from his point of view tbh. The next best fighter in the tournament is probably Paradeiser who he's beaten already.