OKTAGON 31: Ronald Paradeiser vs. Losene Keita – preview and betting tips

Ronald Paradeiser and Losene Keite are very talented fighters, but only one of them will be the holder of the interim Octagon lightweight title and challenger to the legendary Ivan Buchinger. What to expect from the fight and what to bet on?

Ronald Paradeiser and Losene Keita will provide the main prelims of OKTAGON 31 as they battle not only for the interim lightweight title, but also for the challenger to Ivan Buchinger, one of the greatest legends of the Czechoslovakian fight scene.

Surprisingly, Keita is the big favourite, with only one fight in the Octagon under his belt. In his debut, he outclassed Karol Rysavy in a way no one expected. The match was very short-lived and Rysavy didn’t even get a chance to get a feel for the match.

Keita gained a lot of attention and made a great name for himself with his performance. Many believe he can stir up the waters in the lightweight division. However, it is Paradeiser who will now want to prevent that as he would like to fight a rematch with Buchinger.

Very simplistically, one could make a comparison of who beat Rysavy in how long. Keita recently did it in 2 minutes and 55 seconds, Paradeiser needed 35 seconds longer in 2020. However, he won on a submission, not a KO.

Keita is expected to generate pressure again to outbox Paradeiser, but the Slovakian fighter is a great tactician, plus he’s complex, can threaten from virtually any position, and can keep his distance. The question is whether he can take the fight to the ground in an emergency.

While Keita hasn’t shown his ground skills in the Octagon yet, he has shown in his previous fights that he can wrestle. The favorite is probably rightfully so, but Paradeiser certainly doesn’t deserve to be underestimated like this.

It certainly shouldn’t be the case that the fight ends in the first round. Rishavy was able to surprise Keita, but Paradeiser already knows what to expect. Keita’s pressure shouldn’t faze him. The fight will definitely go to the second round at least. On the other hand, a five-round fight would be a big surprise.