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Manel
Kape (21-7) recently laid down his gameplan to beat Alexandre
Pantoja (29-5) in a potential title fight.

Kape took on Asu
Almabayev in the main event at UFC
Vegas 103 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday. “Starboy”
put on a striking masterclass, beating down Almabayev to force the
finish in the third round. The Kazakh had not been beaten in 17
outings since 2017. However, it must be noted that two eye scrapes
from Kape went unpenalized, including one that started the
finishing sequence.

Regardless, Kape’s stock skyrocketed after the entertaining win,
leading to his name being pitched as the next flyweight title
contender. The Angolan even had a respectful face off with the
champ Pantoja on the ESPN+ post-fight show. When asked to detail
his path to victory against Pantoja, Kape noted that “Cannibal”
pressures too much, leaving himself vulnerable to knockout
blows.

“I just see that Pantoja walks forward too much. And brother, I’m a
sniper, I’m a counter [fighter],” Kape said. “Be careful, the hands
[are] heavy. There [are] 14 knockouts here in MMA. Not [even] heavyweights have as [many] knockouts as me.”

Responding to the same question, Pantoja jovially said: “He’s too
cocky, too cocky.”

Kape dropped a unanimous decision against Pantoja in his UFC debut
back in 2021. Kape has since gone 6-3 in the UFC, with four
finishes to his name. Meanwhile, Pantoja has gone on a seven-fight
winning streak starting with his first victory over Kape. The
Brazilian has defended his flyweight strap three times since
winning it against Brandon
Moreno in 2023.

Interestingly, Pantoja’s interview on the ESPN post-show included a
logo of UFC 316, which is rumoured to take place in Newark, New
Jersey on June 7.

IMAK ADMIN

By IMAK ADMIN

Internationaler Kampfkunst und Kampfsport Kleinanzeiger