Exclusive with Oktagon MMA champion Keita: I see every opponent as my hardest fight
You had a terrific start in Oktagon and haven’t lost yet, but every streak eventually comes to an end. Do you feel more and more pressure before every fight or do you still just focus on your performance?
"Yeah, I had a great year in Oktagon and I'm proud. I'm not really worried about losing or something like that. There is no pressure for me. It's always my opponent who has the pressure because for me in my head is always like 'I'm 0-0'. I just focus on my performance. I know I train hard in the gym and the time is going to come when I lose but I don't think it's time yet. I'm only focused on my performance, just another guy to beat - no lion, no superstar. It's like that in my head."
You dominated in welterweight, now you’re moving on to featherweight. Is the match against the champion Sanikidze still your #1 priority after he declined one offer already?
"Yeah, for me, Sanikidze is my priority now. First Bark and after that, I'm going for Sanikidze. It was me who beat Ivan Buchinger and from that day I say I want to fight again for that title of '66. So, I don't know, he can run but he can't hide. He had a big mouth so I think he needs this fight."
Sanikidze is known for his collages of pictures of his opponents, he mentioned you more than once as well. Does it bother you at all?
"At first I liked it because it was funny, you know. It's MMA, sometimes you need things like that. But you cannot do that and then you don't want to fight. That makes me mad, to have a big mouth and call somebody out but I don't want to fight him. It's a pity, you know. You are an MMA fighter, you don't do that in sport."
In order to continue to the championship fight, you have to beat Swedish Thai boxing champion Samuel Bark in Munich first. What do you expect from the matchup? Is it going to be the most difficult fight in Oktagon yet?
"Yeah, Samuel Bark is a very good fighter. I take every fight seriously. My hardest fight in Oktagon, I don't know, maybe or maybe not. But for me, in my head, it's the hardest fight I've ever had in my life. Like any other opponent. Even the next opponent I will see will be the hardest fight. That mindset keeps me sharp in training and in fights."
How do you see the Oktagon organization and its growing popularity in the field of European fighting competitions?
"It's amazing. You know, no organization in Europe can do it like they do. I can even compare them to Bellator because they are really getting big. They can't all pass UFC because UFC is a brand, but like, you cannot tell me there is another organization in this world who do what Oktagon do."
Your name has been mentioned in connection with some of the biggest MMA organizations in the world, but you claimed to be satisfied with Oktagon. On the other hand, UFC is undoubtedly a dream for all fighters. Where do you see yourself in two years?
"Yeah, it's true. My name is mentioned in a lot of organizations. Even UFC, things like that. But I've been in MMA for five years. I just turned 25 years old and I'm good at Oktagon. I like the fans, I like fighting for big audiences. Sometimes they even have a bigger audience than UFC. So why rush? I keep winning, I keep fighting. It's good for me, I'm happy to be there at the moment and then we will see what the future will bring. But now I'm focused on Oktagon."
