Manel Kape made a statement with his performance against Asu Almabayev at UFC Vegas 103. With his spectacular striking on full-display, ‘Starboy’ dismantled Almabayev and snapped his 17-fight win streak with a third round TKO. But outside the highlight reel-worthy moments, controversy reared its head inside the Octagon.
With two eye pokes occurring in the second and third rounds, Kape found himself under fire by the fans online. And now, adding his voice to the uproar is Muhammad Mokaev, who knows firsthand what it’s like to share the cage with Manel Kape.
Muhammad Mokaev takes aim at Manel Kape’s UFC Vegas 103 win with a brutal tirade
Manel Kape and Muhammad Mokaev had faced off against one another at UFC 304 in 2024. The fight ended with a unanimous decision win over Mokaev, and he made sure to remind ‘Starboy’ of the same.
In a scathing post on X, the former UFC flyweight fired off with, “Dirty fighter. Popped on steroids. Eye poked and didn’t even stopped, when I eyed poked you I stopped and let you recover!”
But that wasn’t all. Mokaev also took issue with Kape seemingly throwing shade at him at every opportunity during interviews. He further wrote, “I apologized for whatever happened between us and I thought it ended but you still talking s— about me in every interview! because live in your head.”
As mentioned above, the eye pokes at UFC Vegas 103 have caused a shadow over Kape’s impressive performance. The referee didn’t call a stop to the action even after replays during the broadcast showed ‘Starboy’ scraping his opponent’s eyes.
Kape’s response? At the post-fight press conference he simply stated, “That’s not my job, I didn’t see nothing. I think the [referee] should be more attentive. I’ve suffered so [much] stuff in the octagon, so I don’t know.”
For some, it was a fighter’s excuse. For others, it was a red flag. And for Mokaev, he made sure to remind Kape that, “I beat you not even in my prime and pull your pants down in front the whole world! And you will be my son for rest of life!”
Although Kape lost at UFC 304, it was the undefeated Mokaev who found himself exiting the promotion after the fight as the UFC chose not to renew his contract. On the other hand, controversy aside, Kape’s recent performances have been dominant. After his UFC 304 loss, he rebounded with a brutal finish over Bruno Silva and now, he’s got his crosshairs aimed at the gold!
‘Starboy’ demands title shot from UFC brass as he puts the champion on notice
Manel Kape isn’t going to let controversy stand in his way of getting his shot at becoming a champion in the UFC. With his latest victory secured, despite the uproar surrounding it, Kape has now won six of his last seven fights. But still there are no talks about him entering the title picture.
As such, frustration seemingly bubbled over in his post-fight interview. “Who is next? Who is next against me?” he demanded, his voice cutting through the Octagon.
He even turned his attention to Hunter Campbell, the UFC’s chief business officer, calling for his long-awaited moment. “You know I’m the best,” Kape declared, pointing out that he had just dismantled a fighter riding a 17-fight win streak—one many had avoided.
But Kape wasn’t done. He then took aim at the top of the flyweight division and warned, “Pay attention [Alexandre] Pantoja, Kai Kara-France, [whoever] is next to fight against me, be ready. Because I’m going to steal that belt like I stole candy for my daughter.”
The bout between Kai Kara-France and the champion, Alexandre Pantoja, is reportedly set for UFC 316 in June. With the flyweight title picture heating up, Manel Kape has made it clear, he’s coming for gold, no matter who ends up with the belt after UFC 316.
But will the UFC brass overlook the drama and grant him a shot, or will he need one more win to silence the doubters? What do you think? Let us know in the comments below!
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