Arnold Allen Out of UFC 333, Pico Gets New Foe in Losene Keita

Arnold Allen is off UFC 333. Multiple people with knowledge of the promotion's plans have confirmed the No. 7 featherweight has been scratched from his Oct. 24 booking against Aaron Pico at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, leaving the card down a marquee 145-pound matchup.

This isn't a fresh injury story. Allen, 21-4 (7 KO, 4 SUB), has been rehabbing from past treatments, and there simply wasn't enough runway to get him fight-ready in time. Sources indicated the possibility was flagged when the fight was first discussed, and the 32-year-old Brit is reportedly on the right track, with a return targeted before the end of the year.

The timing stings a little. Allen is riding momentum after headlining UFC Vegas 117 in May and taking a unanimous decision over Melquizael Costa. A fight with the rising Pico would have been a genuine ranked test — instead it's shelved.

Pico Stays, Gets Keita

Rather than lose Pico from the card entirely, the UFC has slotted in Losene Keita as the replacement opponent. Pico, 14-5 with nine knockouts, is coming off his first UFC win — a decision over Patricio Pitbull at UFC 327 in April — and he keeps his Abu Dhabi slot intact.

Keita is the more dangerous kind of short-notice name. The 17-2 featherweight just flattened Muhammad Naimov in the first round at UFC Paris earlier this month, banking a Performance of the Night bonus in the process. That was his first UFC victory in two attempts, and it announced him as someone worth watching.

So the story reads two ways. Allen's setback pushes the No. 7 featherweight to the back of the queue with a year-end return in mind. Pico, meanwhile, trades a ranked opponent for a hotter one — and a win over Keita would do more for his climb than a decision over an injured man ever could.