UFC flyweight Manel Kape believes he was robbed of victory against Muhammad Mokaev in Manchester, seemingly by both the judges and referee.
Kape and Mokaev entered the Octagon during the UFC 304 preliminary card in the early hours of Sunday morning in the UK for a fight that was among the most talked about leading into the pay-per-view event.
In the eyes of most, the bout was a likely title eliminator at 125 pounds, and the stakes and anticipation only increased when they got into numerous aggressive altercations during fight week.
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The pair ultimately failed to deliver on their promise of a barnburner at the Co-op Live, however, with Mokaev having his hand raised on the scorecards following a low-output and low-entertainment affair.
While some disagreed with the decision going in "The Punisher's" favor, the biggest point of contention came in round one when the Dagestan-born brit displayed some of the most egregious fouling in recent memory.
After landing a takedown, Mokaev blatantly pulled Kape's shorts down, leading to firm complaints from "Starboy." But despite the views of the commentary team and many in the community, no point was taken.
That fact has left the defeated Kape less than pleased...
Kape Admits He Underperformed At UFC 304 But Claims He Deserved More
A few hours on from his disappointing setback in Manchester, Kape took to social media to release his first public statement on the result.
The Angola-born Portuguese flyweight insisted he deserved the victory and pointed out Mokaev's cheating early on, as well as some other fouls he believes went unpunished from referee Mike Beltran.
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"I definitely won this fight, that pull of the shorts deserved to be removed the point, two fingers in the eyes, 3 kicks in balls," Kape wrote. "Anyway, It was not the best performance, I apologize for those who expected the best from me but only Allah knows. Alhamdulillah for everything."
While he may have had his championship ambitions stalled for the time being, he appears to have had the last laugh in his feud with Mokaev.
After it emerged that the Dagestan-born Brit would be completing the final fight on his contract at UFC 304, Dana White revealed at the post-fight press conference that the promotion wouldn't be re-signing "The Punisher," seemingly owing to issues outside of the Octagon.