Manel Kape finally lived up to the pre-UFC hype, dispatching Ode Osbourne with a wild flying knee to the jaw at UFC 265.
Former RIZIN champion Manel Kape’s back was to the wall at UFC 265 after dropping his first two fights in Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and then missing weight by three pounds in Houston, Texas. So, if he dropped his fight to Ode Osbourne tonight (Sat., Aug. 7, 2021) inside Toyota Center, there was a good chance he’d be out of a job.
“StarBoy” doesn’t have to worry after what just happened.
After an intense back-and-forth that saw Kape and Osbourne exchange a long string of technical kicks and strikes, Kape backed up and drew Osbourne right into a flying knee that landed right on the jaw. Osbourne crumpled, Kape chased him down with ground-and-pound, and that was it as far as the referee was concerned.
Take a look at this wild finish:
OUT OF NOWHERE @ManelKape
Stream #UFC265 on @ESPNPlus ?? https://t.co/5MaiVRNGuY pic.twitter.com/gdWyAsXsJz
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) August 7, 2021
JUST LIKE THAT ?? @ManelKape adding one to the highlight reel!!! #UFC265 pic.twitter.com/S1XB8cq2cH
— UFC (@ufc) August 7, 2021
Afterward, Kape unleashed a slew of swears that made it onto the ESPN+ broadcast (if ESPN is gonna keep trying to censor fighters, we’re going to enjoy how bad of a job they do) and asked for a bonus. Unfortunately for him, as interviewer Daniel Cormier noted, fighters who miss weight are ineligible for performance bonuses.
Kape may be one of the best Flyweight fighters in the world, but he’ll have to come back and actually win at 125 pounds before he can really talk.
MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 265 fight card RIGHT HERE, starting with the early Fight Pass/ESPN+ “Prelims” matches at 6 p.m. ET, followed by the remaining undercard balance on ESPN2/ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET, before the PPV main card start time at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+.
To check out the latest and greatest UFC 265: “Lewis vs. Gane” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here. For the entire UFC 265 fight card and PPV line up click here.