UFC flyweight contender Manel Kape doesn’t believe he’s to blame for his and Muhammad Mokaev’s questionable card placement this weekend.
The pair are set to do battle in one of the most intriguing and important matchups at UFC 304, scheduled to take place inside the Co-op Live in Manchester, England, on Saturday night.
Originally, Kape and Mokaev were alongside the likes of Leon Edwards, Tom Aspinall, and Paddy Pimblett on the main card. That was to be expected given that the winner could be next in line to challenge for Alexandre Pantoja’s title.
In recent days, however, the bout has been slipping down the pecking order, first to the preliminary card and now to the early prelims.
The decision has caused debate and confusion in the MMA community. But whatever the reason, Kape doesn’t think it has anything to do with him…
Kape Happy For Early Get-Out At UFC 304
During his appearance at UFC 304 media day on Wednesday, Kape looked ahead to his first fight of 2024, which comes after a weight miss in January and injury in April caused his rematch with Matheus Nicolau to be canceled twice.
In terms of why he’ll be making the walk early in the lineup, Kape theorized that his opponent may not have earned a PPV main card placement yet.
Regardless, “Starboy” doesn’t appear fazed by the decision. In fact, he seems to be relishing the opportunity to enjoy a night out in Manchester post-fight.
“Maybe they want to push more the audience. Maybe Mokaev don’t deserve the main card, you know?” Kape said. “But for me, it’s good. For the timing, I don’t need to fight at 3, 4 AM. So I’m going to fight at 11 PM and I can go out (after).
“I’m gonna win, and after the win, get my boys, get some good food, and enjoy a little bit of town,” Kape added.
Before hitting the town, Kape must get the job done inside the Octagon on fight night. That will be no easy task, however, with Mokaev undefeated both in the UFC and across his professional and amateur careers to date.
While many are favoring “The Punisher’s” grappling to get the job done, Kape has dismissed that threat and promised a violent knockout to blemish the Dagestan-born Brit’s MMA résumé for the first time.
