Pitbull was scheduled to open up the main card of UFC Fight Night: Imavov vs Borralho at Accor Arena in the French capital, where he was set to welcome former two-division OKTAGON MMA champion Losene Keita to the UFC.
However, while he had no issues on the scale at the official weigh-ins on Friday morning, the same couldn’t be said for Keita, who tipped the scale at 149 pounds, three full pounds over the featherweight limit.
It resulted in the bout being removed from the fight card this weekend, as the matchup many viewed as one of the most exciting on the card fell by the wayside just a day before the event.
The cancellation of the bout clearly irked Pitbull, who took aim at Keita for failing to make weight, and mocked his nickname of “The Black Panther” with a reworked version of the Belgian’s fighting moniker.
“It was 9am when he goes to the scale, and he didn’t make weight,” Pitbull told Full Send MMA.
“He was about 149. Our division is 145, and the limit the commission put to us is 146. He was like 147, 148, 149 pounds, and it was 9am. He has until 11am, and he is fresh, they give you one more (hour) if you can’t make weight in that time. So, I can’t believe that. It’s not professional, I’m professional.
“He said in some interviews that he’s faster, younger, stronger. But he can’t make weight. If the people want to blame somebody, blame the ‘Fat Panther.'”
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Pitbull also used the backstage interview to immediately set his sights on a different opponent for his next appearance, as he called for a bout with English contender Arnold Allen, with the Brazilian saying that he could even be ready for the UFC’s October 11 return to Rio de Janeiro.
“I don’t need money, I just want to make some fight,” he said.
“Let’s go, Arnold Allen … maybe in Rio de Janeiro. I will try to make this fight happen.”
