UFC flyweight contender Manel Kape is hoping to run into Canadian singer-songwriter The Weeknd in Las Vegas soon enough.
When the term “Starboy” is thrown around, perhaps most around the globe will think of The Weeknd and his third studio album. Released in 2016, Starboy featured names like Kendrick Lamar and Future, debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200, won a Grammy for Best Urban Contemporary Album, and has been streamed more than seven billion times on Spotify.
But if you ask MMA fans what the term “Starboy” means to them, most will respond with the name of a former Rizin Bantamweight Champion and one of the most electrifying flyweights in the world.
That man is Manel “Starboy” Kape.
Prior to arriving in the UFC, the Angolan-Portuguese fighter had amassed a 15-4 record and achieved immense success in Japan’s leading MMA promotion. Despite a poor 0-2 start inside the Octagon, the 28-year-old has rebounded in style, bringing his promotional record to even with a pair of first-round knockouts against Ode’ Osbourne and Zhalgas Zhumagulov.
Now, with his reputation enhancing and his notoriety rising inside the cage, Kape is looking to catch up with the leading “Starboy,” and perhaps secure a meeting with him soon enough.
During a recent interview with Cageside Press, the #14-ranked flyweight assured The Weeknd that there’s no competition when it comes to the moniker, expressing a desire to meet the successful artist in a Las Vegas club down the line.
“I don’t know (when we’ll meet). I’m ready to go and love the parties here in Vegas, you know. Of course, we don’t see each other — actually, I see him in the casino one time, but let’s see if we meet one day in a club in Vegas.”
Having confirmed that the meeting of two “Starboys” in the same room doesn’t cause the universe to implode, Kape is looking to set up a proper meeting with the Canadian, something he hopes to boost the chances of with a viral knockout next time out.
“Yes, that’s gonna be the link, bro, 100%.”
If he’s to accomplish that feat, the victim will need to be Rogerio Bontorin. On June 11, Kape will be looking to secure an ascent into the flyweight top 10, as well as some attention from a certain Ontario native, at the expense of the Brazilian.
Walking out to The Weeknd and Daft Punk’s hit single “Starboy” (no rewards for guessing the album) before his next fight certainly wouldn’t harm his secondary objective…
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