Former Oktagon star Losene Keita’s long-awaited UFC debut arrived on Saturday at UFC London, where he faced on against Brit Nathaniel Wood.
Keita was supposed to take on Patricio Pitbull last year, but missed weight for the fight, which was scrapped. No such issues arose ahead of UFC London, but the result was not what the ex-Oktagon MMA champ was looking for.
The featherweight fight opened with both men working behind the jab and probing with leg kicks as they tried to establish range. Wood had the early edge, landing the cleaner shots while staying composed and not biting on Keita’s feints. Keita was more focused on counters, showing flashes of power with a couple of clubbing right hands. Wood prioritized optics with jabs, straight punches, and calf kicks, while Keita looked to land the more impactful shots. It was a contrast in styles, but a fairly measured opening round that didn’t fully clash.
Round two started with Wood going right back to the calf kick. Keita answered with a sharp jab and mixed in some leg kicks of his own. Wood landed a good counter as Keita loaded up, briefly taking out his legs, but Keita recovered quickly and fired back with a clean knee. Wood doubled up on the jab and followed with a leg kick that buckled Keita. Despite that, Keita’s offense did more visible damage, marking up Wood’s face and finishing the round strong with a big right hand at the bell, likely edging it on impact.
Heading into the third, it felt even and up for grabs. Keita came out with more urgency and a better feel for range, while Wood stayed consistent, continuing to chip away with leg kicks and short, scoring shots. The kicks added up, even if they didn’t significantly affect Keita. Keita was clearly pursuing damage, throwing with more intent, even at a lower volume. The final minute was fairly quiet, with Keita loading up and Wood staying disciplined, landing short punches in what remained a very close fight down the stretch.
It was split on the scorecards, with Wood getting the nod. Clearly not how Keita had envisioned his debut playing out.
Official Result: Nathaniel Wood def. Losene Keita by split decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
