Can Pitbull Turn Back the Dangerous Striker Prospect?
Patricio Freire is back in action this Saturday as he fights for his third time in 2025, as he takes on fresh newcomer Losene Keita. After his rocky debut in the UFC against Yair Rodriguez, he was able to bounce back in a big way against Dan Ige and get his first UFC victory. After beating a ranked opponent like Ige, and at this stage of Pitbull's career, you would think he wouldn’t be sacrificed against a young and dangerous opponent. Can Pitbull turn back the young challenger, or will Keita show that it’s the young generation's time and that Pitbull's time is coming to an end?
Pitbull is a legend in the martial arts community with his dominant run in Bellator. The former two-division champion finally made the jump to the UFC in 2025 and looked like he had one last shot at pushing to fight for at the time the vacated Featherweight Champion. With Lerone Murphy taking out Aaron Pico with a devastating spinning elbow, he looks to be next in line for Alexander Volkanovski’s title. Pitbull has big-time power in his hands and showcased his striking defense and overall skills against Dan Ige. Ige could not get started and was fighting behind from the jump. If he can utilize his wrestling and mix up all his weapons, I think his extensive experience could play a major factor in this fight. If he can turn back this young prospect, he could secure himself a title eliminator fight against a guy like Aljamain Sterling next time he fights.
Losene Keita is a name fans might not be familiar with. He is a true finisher with a 62% finishing rate in his 17 professional fights. The Belgian athlete has great speed and will be the fastest and most precise striker in this fight. If he can manage distance and stay away from Pitbull's grappling, he will be able to find a finish at some point in this fight. Pitbull is going to be shooting takedowns early and focusing on control wrestling like he did against Ige, so if the lights aren’t too bright for Keita, he will avoid that like the plague. Pitbull is currently ranked number 11 in the Featherweight Division, so if Keita can get him out of there, he will take the aging division by storm in a short time.
There have been a lot of hyped athletes that have entered the UFC recently, and most of them have had some poor performances. Experience and longevity play a crucial role in these types of matchups, so the decorated pedigree of Pitbull is something fans should not overlook. This is going to be a fight of wills, and the stronger one will prevail. You don’t want to miss this fight and all the other exciting action this Saturday for UFC Fight Night: Nassourdine Imavov vs. Caio Borralho, with a main card start time of 3:00 p.m. EST.
