Highlights! ‘Starboy’ Calls Out Pantoja After Body Kick TKO

Manel Kape may have earned himself a UFC flyweight title shot last night (Sat., Dec. 14, 2024) at UFC Tampa LIVE on ESPN2/ESPN+ from inside Amalie Arena in Tampa, Fla., stopping streaking finisher Bruno Silva with a nasty third-round TKO (body kick and punches).

Kape came into this flyweight clash a pretty large betting favorite. The former RIZIN bantamweight champion hasn’t completely lived up to his hype since entering UFC back in 2021 so Saturday’s high-profile tilt against Silva was a perfect opportunity for “Starboy” to finally cash in.

Unfortunately for Kape, he had to eat multiple low blows at the hands of Silva, who was eventually deducted a point. When he wasn’t getting kicked in the nuts Kape was picking Silva apart on the feet and dancing around the Octagon to remain elusive. Silva is a gamer through and through so he ate almost every shot Kape was able to dish out, but things eventually had to come to an end.

In the third round, Kape was able to land a brutal body kick (which may have glanced Silva’s groin) and then proceeded to unload heavy punches to the body and head. Silva covered up along the cage and had little to offer in response. The referee stepped in to save him and Kape walked off with the TKO victory.

Check out the video highlights below:

Kape, who lost a decision to former UFC fighter Muhammad Mokaev back in July, came into Saturday’s contest believing he was one big performance away from earning a UFC title shot against current flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja. With this victory over Silva and his resume under RIZIN, Kape could very well be the next challenger for the champ.

After his victory, Kape called out Pantoja and explained how nobody in the flyweight division does it like him. Check it out below:

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For complete UFC Tampa results, coverage, and highlights, click HERE.