You didn't really sprite the face, from the looks of it. Looks more like you just widened the back of the head, made the ear practically part of the face (when it should look like it's more noticably sticking out), then threw in anti-aliasing, and called it "M&L Styled".
Just a suggestion, whenever you're spriting, it'd probably be better to use an actual drawing or 3D model to use as a reference. If you use a sprite from a completely different style, odds are, you'll end up making a duplicate, or something that looks similar.
To be honest, the YI version of the Ukiki seems like a bad reference, since upper lip thingy is greatly over exaggerated. The MPA Ukiki, though only having a few frames, would probably be far more useful as a reference:
Ukiki - MPA StyleIt's a nice start, just make sure to get rid of the YI influence that is clearly shown.