Former RIZIN bantamweight champion Manel Kape will serve as a backup for the Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Brandon Moreno flyweight title fight at UFC 256 on Dec. 12, per MMA Fighting’s Mike Heck.
This is incredible news for Kape who was expected to make his Octagon debut against Alexandre Pantoja at UFC Vegas 17 on Dec. 19. That bout was scratched earlier this week when it was revealed that Pantoja tested positive for COVID-19, leaving Kape without an opponent.
The former RIZIN bantamweight champion will now serve as a title fight backup in what could be his first UFC fight.
Kape, 27, signed with UFC back in March after a very successful stint in RIZIN. In nine total appearances with the Japanese promotion Kape produced a 6-3 record, including wins over former UFC bantamweight contenders Ian McCall and Takeya Mizugaki. Kape is known to be a very aggressive fighter evident by his 14 finishes through just 15 professional wins.
As for the UFC 256 main event between Figueiredo and Moreno, that matchup came to be just two weeks ago after both flyweights captured wins at UFC 255. Figueiredo will be making the fastest title turnaround in UFC history as he attempts to score his second-straight flyweight title defense.
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