Aaron Pico Lost Two Ranked Opponents Before Landing Losene Keita at UFC 333
Aaron Pico was originally set to fight Aljamain Sterling and then Arnold Allen before both fell through, leaving Losene Keita as his UFC 333 opponent.
Aaron Pico has had a rough few months getting to his UFC 333 fight. The former Bellator standout was originally scheduled to face former bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling, but that bout fell through. The UFC then matched him with No. 5-ranked featherweight Arnold Allen, who subsequently withdrew due to injury.
"It's been a crazy few months, because I thought I was going to fight Aljamain Sterling. That's the fight that I thought I was going to get, but that didn't go through. So, they told me I was fighting Arnold Allen, and I was really excited," Pico said, per Yardbarker.
Now Pico will face Losene Keita on October 24 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. Keita is a former Oktagon MMA featherweight and lightweight champion who lost his UFC debut to Nathaniel Wood in March but bounced back with a highlight-reel knockout of Muhammad Naimov at UFC Paris earlier this month, per Cageside Press.
Pico is 1-1 in the UFC, having suffered a spinning back elbow knockout loss to Lerone Murphy in his debut before rebounding with a decision win over Patricio Pitbull at UFC 327. Ranked around No. 12 at featherweight, Pico says he is not interested in sitting out and waiting for specific opponents.
The featherweight division is stacked at UFC 333, with Alexander Volkanovski defending his title against Movsar Evloev in the main event. For Pico, a win over the dangerous Keita would put him right in the mix heading into 2027.
I respect the hell out of Pico's approach here. A lot of fighters in his position would have sat out after losing two big-name opponents and waited for the UFC to give them another ranked guy. Pico just said yes to whoever was available. That is how you build a career in this sport.
Keita is no joke either. That knockout over Naimov in Paris was nasty, and he has real finishing ability. This is a dangerous fight for Pico on a massive card in Abu Dhabi. But Pico has looked like a different fighter since coming to the UFC, more composed, better defensively. If he can keep Keita at range and use his speed, he wins this. A loss would be a real setback though, so the stakes are real.
https://cagesidepress.com/2026/09/18/with-arnold-allen-out-aaron-pico-gets-losene-keita-at-ufc-333/
