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Manel Kape vs. Muhammad Mokaev is one of the more unique fight moments in recent memory. When’s the last time a fight had an exciting build up, absolutely terrible climax, then interesting and controversial fallout? Outside of the boring fight itself — which saw Mokaev defeat Kape via close decision — the whole ordeal has been rather entertaining.
The big narrative after UFC 304 has been Mokaev’s release. The 23-year-old Flyweight prospect has won seven in a row to start his UFC career, and his victory over Kape should have bumped him into the Top Five. Instead, he’s been released outright, reportedly for chasing Professional Fighter’s League (PFL) leverage and generally being difficult to work with.
Or maybe he’s just too boring.
Whatever the case, Kape is arguing online that Mokaev doesn’t deserve the win at all because he tapped to a guillotine. “Starboy” wrote on social media, “You can clearly see the moment when Mokaev Tap” alongside the slow-motion clip above, which does see Mokaev reach down to Kape’s leg in a tapping-like motion.
There’s a couple problems, however. One, the referee walks in front of the shot, blocking the view! Secondly, Mokaev could just as easily be moving his hand to press on the leg in an attempt to weaken Kape’s guard and general squeeze. It’s not exactly damning evidence, and far better cases have still failed to see commissions take action.
Ultimately, Kape is still on the roster and Mokaev is not, so the Portuguese fighter should probably just take that moral victory and move on.
Insomnia
I saw a few comments complaining that Belal Muhammad spiked Leon Edwards illegally, which was not the case. Unless it’s a genuine Tombstone Piledriver from The Undertaker himself, you will never see a slam takedown penalized in MMA.
It was a beautifully executed high crotch by Belal. It absolutely had an arc to it and was a legal throw. https://t.co/19NmqOpYwd
— Big John McCarthy (@JohnMcCarthyMMA) July 29, 2024
Arnold Allen is not impressed by Giga Chikadze’s post-fight comments.
This is not the way https://t.co/7ye358u08i
— Arnold billy allen (@Arnoldbfa) July 28, 2024
Also how’s he know he needs surgery I think I broke my hand in the first round too but I’m still waiting for an mri and xray etc ??? UFCs magic doctors must’ve screwed me
— Arnold billy allen (@Arnoldbfa) July 28, 2024
A very interesting threat about referee Mike Beltran with better cited sources than one might expect …
Is UFC Referee Mike Beltran A Member Of The LASD Banditos Deputy Gang ?
(Conspiracy Theory)(THREAD) pic.twitter.com/5BcsvhlNmm
— Valo MMA (@valo_mma) July 29, 2024
How many highlight reel KOs does Robelis Despaigne have to deliver before people are excited about him again? I’d guess two.
Robelis Despaigne will fight Austen Lane at UFC event on October 19th. (first rep. @thebigboyufc) #UFC #MMA #UFCESPN #UFC2024 pic.twitter.com/274ZUV26ot
— Marcel Dorff (@BigMarcel24) July 29, 2024
It won’t happen, but I would unironically watch Conor McGregor vs. Sean O’Malley in 2024 and think it would be competitive.
Sean O’Malley calls out Conor McGregor and says he can beat him in a fight
“I will chirp Conor because I do believe I can beat Conor in a fight… I think stylistically I could beat Conor in a fight…
Conor’s 5’7”… he’s thick but he’s short… talk sh*t, let’s do it.”
YT… pic.twitter.com/h2pERuExDF
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) July 29, 2024
How many miles do you think Jiri Prochazka can shadowbox-hike in a full day?
Training and walking from dawn till dusk. Take a rest and again
//\\#Camino pic.twitter.com/xEZcJkB0GU
— Jiri BJP Prochazka (@jiri_bjp) July 29, 2024
It’s going to be really difficult to uncover weaknesses in Aspinall’s game when he fights in 60 second spurts.
In his nine-fight UFC run, Tom Aspinall has only fought for a total of 1,101 seconds.
This is an average fight time of 2 minutes and 2 seconds, the shortest of any UFC fighter ever.#UFC304 pic.twitter.com/MKjHiNUK5s
— MMA Orbit (@mma_orbit) July 28, 2024
Slips, rips, and KO clips
Big swings in the pocket from both men.
THE DAYWALKER.
Anthony Guarascio only needed 31 seconds to finish the fight!
Guarascio improves to (3-0) with 3-straight first round finishes. #CFFC133
— COMBAT SPORTS TODAY (@CSTodayNews) July 27, 2024
Reinier de Ridder is still signed to One Championship, but that didn’t stop him from picking up a victory in Abu Dhabi over the weekend …
Reinier de Ridder (17-2) gana a Magomedmurad Khasaev (6-2) por TKO con golpes en el GnP en el primer asalto, el neerlandés debería firmar por UFC #UAEWarriors51 pic.twitter.com/XhAs8SQtij
— Pelunaton (@pelunaton) July 27, 2024
About as clean as a body cross-hook upstairs combination can land!
Holy fuck Rittewada!! pic.twitter.com/68eGLwljRp
— This is actually Eric if you didnt know (@ThisIsNotEric1) July 27, 2024
Random Land
An epic shot and how it came to be.
This is one of the coolest photos I’ve ever seen
Jerome Brouillet/AFP via Getty Images pic.twitter.com/PZJdYK9qF9
— Kendall Baker (@kendallbaker) July 29, 2024
I did some searching and I believe this is when the photo was taken. So epicpic.twitter.com/YhUUtDLtdV
— Kendall Baker (@kendallbaker) July 29, 2024
Midnight Music: Hardcore punk, 1998
Sleep well Maniacs! More martial arts madness is always on the way.