Manel Kape made a statement that he should be next in line for the UFC flyweight championship, taking out Asu Almabayev in the main event of UFC Vegas 103.
"Starboy" got off to a strong start, grabbing momentum right away with the striking display he put on in round one. He added in a couple of stops when Almabayev went for takedown attempts during the frame. Kape continued to utilize his striking in the second, but the Kazakh fighter seemed to dictate the pace by circling the cage while looking to land his own strikes.
Kape landed a flurry in round three that appeared to hurt Almabayev. This sent Almabayev stumbling and into retreat, as he ran nearly a whole lap around the Octagon backwards. He looked for a takedown on Kape when the Angolan caught up to him, but referee Mike Beltran elected to stop the fight via TKO due to Almabayev's retreating and back-turn.
After that performance, plenty are calling for the #6-ranked contender to challenge the winner of the expected Alexandre Pantoja vs. Kai Kara-France clash for the flyweight gold.
Is Manel Kape Next For UFC Flyweight Title Shot After UFC Vegas 103 Win?
Kape has now won six of his last seven fights, with his sole loss in that span coming against Muhammad Mokaev.
Meanwhile, this loss snaps a 17-fight win streak Almabayev was on entering tonight, going back to 2017. The Kazakh prospect scored victories in the Octagon against Ode' Osbourne, CJ Vergara, Jose Johnson and Matheus Nicolau prior to tonight.