Losene Keita believes he’s “cleared the division” ahead of OKTAGON interim title fight

Undefeated Losene Keita didn’t mince words ahead of his scheduled OKTAGON 42 main event Saturday in Bratisalvia.

Keita, who was originally scheduled to face his long-time rival Mate Sanikidze, will have to wait a little longer. Sanikidze suffered an injury in camp, as Keita will now challenge Jakub Tichota for the interim featherweight title.

A Keita victory will give him champ-champ status, but he said that his feud with Sanikidze and OKTAGON’s non-belief in him serves as extra motivation.

*Note: This interview was done prior to Sanikidze’s injury; answers have been edited for clarity.

“Everybody knows I was the one who deserved the title shot,” Keita said in an exclusive interview with BJPenn and The MMA Outsiders. “But OKTAGON did this because they thought I was leaving. They didn’t even ask me [if I wanted the title fight]. They gave two other people the title [fight] but, now, I’m here to claim what’s mine.”

Even though Keita hasn’t claimed undisputed gold just yet, he says that he has done enough to separate himself from the pack.

“I beat the actual champ and cleared my division,” Keita said. “I was the one to fight for the title.”

Regardless of who Keita was supposed to fight or not, “Black Panther” has quickly made a name for himself as one of the promotion’s most exciting fighters with future big show potential.

Losene Keita currently sits at 10-0 with three TKO wins in OKTAGON thus far. His last outing came in February, scoring a third-round finish against Samuel Bark in his toughest fight to-date.

Keita has barely seen the judges, as he looks for the finish early and often with bad intentions behind every strike thrown.

His opponent, Tichota, is 5-1 and is coming off a split decision loss to Sanikidze, making this fight a must-win for both men.

Who will come out on top Saturday night (afternoon in the U.S.)? Let us know your thoughts in the comments, Penn Nation!