The UFC Paris main card is not looking good with just a day to go for the Fight Night. Fans were excited to hear that Losene Keita, who had an excellent run in the European circuit, is heading into the promotion and making his debut this Saturday. With a 16-1 record, Dana White decided to place him on the main card opener against Patricio ‘Pitbull’ Freire. But the plans were torn to shreds by none other than Keita himself.

Just over a couple of weeks ago, Losene Keita signed with the UFC and got his first match immediately against the former Bellator legend. However, he made his first error before the debut fight itself, as he missed weight by a considerable margin. Patricio Freire was certainly not happy, but Dana White went on to take a very drastic step.

Dana White fired a recently signed fighter as Patricio Freire lets out his frustration

Well, reports on social media, especially the UFC Roster Watch account on X, claim that Dana White has decided to release Losene Keita after his recent weight miss. While some may think this was too harsh from the promotion’s end, it’s important to note that the 16-1 fighter was 3 lbs over the featherweight weight limit for non-title fights, 146lbs. Patricio Freire narrated the turn of events and also sounded off on the 27-year-old fighter for being ‘unprofessional’ even after getting more than one chance to make it to the weighing scale.

“It was 9 (AM) when he go through the scale, and he didn’t make weight. So, he was about 149 lbs… He has up to 11 (AM) and in France, they give you one more [attempt] if you can’t make weight in that time,” Patricio Freire told Full Send MMA. “I can’t believe that. He’s not professional. He said in some interviews [that] he’s faster, younger, stronger, but he can’t make weight.”

If there’s one thing Dana White doesn’t like, is fighters missing weight. Moreover, replacing them on such short notice is always a big hassle since not everyone is ready to step up like Dan Ige did at UFC 303. Well, this is nothing more than another thorn in the UFC CEO’s side because just recently, he lost another fight on short notice, but that was due to a tragedy.

Tragedy prompts a fighter’s withdrawal from the Paris event

There’s absolutely nothing that compares to the feeling of fighting and competing in front of a home crowd. Fares Ziam was going to get that opportunity this weekend as Dana White paired him up against Kaue Fernandes. However, at the beginning of this week, he shared the sad news of his grandmother’s passing, which has affected his family. As such, Ziam announced his pullout from UFC Paris, leaving his opponent to get another right instead.

“Following the sudden death of my grandmother, her funeral arrangements in France and abroad, I regret to cancel my participation in UFC Paris on September 6,” the lightweight fighter wrote on Instagram. As much as he wants to climb the ranks and fight for the title, Fares Ziam is not willing to leave his family at a time when they need each other for support. “Family is my priority,” he added.

Well, Fares Ziam’s pullout happened a bit earlier, so Dana White was able to navigate that and find a replacement for him. But for Losene Keita, it was not possible. Regardless, let us know what you think about the UFC CEO’s decision to release Keita from his UFC contract. Drop your comments below.