UFC flyweight contender Manel Kape will have the chance to get his ball rolling once again before the year is out.
Kape (19-7) had his pursuit of a title shot and rematch with reigning champion Alexandre Pantoja stalled at UFC 304 this past April, where he fell short across three rounds opposite Muhammad Mokaev inside Manchester's Co-op Live.
That result snapped the Angola-born Portuguese fighter's four-fight winning run. And to bounce back this year, Kape will need to defend his #9 ranking against a name outside the top 10.
Per Brazilian outlet Ag. Fight, Kape will return to meet the challenge of Bruno Silva (14-5-2, 1 NC) at the UFC Fight Night in Tampa, Florida on December 14.
Prior to his setback opposite Mokaev, Kape had risen the ranks with victories over Ode' Osbourne, Zhalgas Zhumagulov, David Dvořák, and Felipe dos Santos. That run established the former Rizin bantamweight champion as a contender after an 0-2 start to life in the UFC.
Silva, meanwhile, went winless across his first three UFC fights. Like Kape, however, he's enjoyed a strong resurgence by having his hand raised in four consecutive bouts. "Bulldog" most recently followed a submission victory over Tyson Nam by knocking out Cody Durden at the Apex this past July.
With this addition, the current fights expected to take place at the UFC Fight Night in Tampa on Dec. 14 are as follows:
- Mackenzie Dern vs. Amanda Ribas (women's strawweight)
- Manel Kape vs. Bruno Silva (flyweight)
- Tracy Cortez vs. Miranda Maverick (women's flyweight)
- Dustin Jacoby vs. Vitor Petrino (light heavyweight)
- Davey Grant vs. Ramon Taveras (bantamweight)
- Piera Rodriguez vs. Josefine Knutsson (women's strawweight)
- Tuco Tokkos vs. Navajo Striling (light heavyweight)