Manel Kape wants his shot at gold.
The dynamic striker and perennial flyweight contender is gunning for a chance to become champion in 2025 after running through Asu Almabayev in impressive fashion to cap off the UFC Vegas 103 main event. It was another stunning performance from Kape as he blitzed Almayaev with strikes, eventually forcing the Kazakh native to sprint across the cage to get away from him and that gave referee Mike Beltran no choice but to stop the fight with the end coming at 2:16 in the third round.
The win moves Kape to 6-1 in his past seven fights with hopes that his next fight comes against the UFC flyweight champion.
“Who is next? Who is next against me?” Kape shouted after his win. “They’re going to deny again my title shot? Hey Hunter [Campbell], you know I’m the best. I just stopped a guy with a 17 [fight] win streak. Everybody was scared to fight him. You guys really thought that I’m scared to fight him because he’s a wrestler? I can wrestle, I can stand with anyone in this division. I’m the best. I’m the star boy.
“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.”
Showing no fear of the takedown, Kape was on his front foot from the jump looking to set up his combinations but keeping a low center of gravity in case Almabayev shot on him. Kape was lightning quick with his punches as he kept coming after Almabayev with strikes in succession, coming from numerous angles to keep his opponent guessing.
Late in the opening round, Kape continued to fake and feint before unleashing a brutal right hand that blasted Almabaev as a cut around his left eye started leaking blood.
As he continued to struggle to use his grappling, Almabayev was forced to step into his punches and he actually connected with a couple of stiff shots but Kape seemed unbothered by it. In return, Kape was consistently firing back with precision and power as he continued chipping away at his opponent.
The constant pressure from Kape ended up with Almabayev in retreat as he desperately tried to circle away from the aggressive attack coming after him. That strategy was ultimately what served as Almabayev’s undoing because he couldn’t find a counter to slow down Kape so he just attempted to get away from him instead.
With Kape in complete control, he rushed forward with a barrage of shots that had Almabayev once again doing everything possible to avoid further damage. Once Almabayev stumbled and Kape continued to unload on him, Beltran had no choice but to rescue him and stop the fight.
It’s a second consecutive TKO win for Kape, and it’s going to be awfully hard not to put him in a position to fight for a title next as he continues to put on dazzling performances.
Rumors have been swirling that reigning flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja is expected to face Kai Kara-France next, and if that happens, Kape may be the unwelcome reward awaiting the winner.
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