Tag: Manel Kape

Manel Kape Slams “Ungrateful” Figueiredo For Interim Title Complaints

UFC flyweight Manel Kape has slammed champion Deiveson Figueiredo for his response to the creation of an interim title in the division. Figueiredo, who is a two-time 125-pound king having won the belt back from Brandon Moreno at UFC 270 earlier this year, is currently nursing an injury. In response to the Brazilian’s forced spell…

Continue Reading Manel Kape Slams “Ungrateful” Figueiredo For Interim Title Complaints at MMA News.

UFC flyweight Manel Kape has slammed champion Deiveson Figueiredo for his response to the creation of an interim title in the division.

Figueiredo, who is a two-time 125-pound king having won the belt back from Brandon Moreno at UFC 270 earlier this year, is currently nursing an injury. In response to the Brazilian’s forced spell on the sidelines, the promotion announced that Moreno and rising contender Kai Kara-France will meet for interim gold at UFC 277 next month.

To say that news hasn’t pleased Figueiredo would be an understatement. As well as admitting to being in “disbelief” at the UFC’s actions, “Deus Da Guerra” even threatened to move up to bantamweight in response to the interim title.

It didn’t take long for the Brazilian to receive some backlash, with three-time opponent Moreno laughing off Figueiredo’s response to his upcoming championship matchup. And, as it turns out, the Mexican isn’t alone with his beliefs…

Kape To Figueiredo: UFC Gives You Everything & You Complain?”

#14-ranked flyweight Manel Kape also recently made his feelings towards the disgruntled champion known. During UFC 275 media day on Wednesday, “Starboy” branded Figueiredo as “ungrateful,” and reminded the Brazilian where he’d be without MMA’s premier promotion.

“Let Deiveson complain,” said Kape. “This man is ungrateful. The UFC gives you everything and he right now starts complaining about the UFC making an interim belt. He should be grateful for the opportunity he has. He was living in village and living with cows.”

While Kape’s apparent rivalry with Figueiredo is strictly verbal at the moment, the former Rizin champion will be hoping that the Brazilian remains at flyweight so he can meet him in the Octagon down the line.

Kape, who is set for a tough test against top-10 contender Rogério Bontorin this Saturday in Singapore, firmly believes that he is destined for a place in the championship conversation soon enough.

Should the Portuguese-Angolan follow up his first-round finishes of Ode’ Osbourne and Zhalgas Zhumagulov with another impressive display against Bontorin, he’ll no doubt plant himself a significant step closer to the Brazilian champ.

Do you agree with Manel Kape’s take on Deiveson Figueiredo’s recent comments?

Continue Reading Manel Kape Slams “Ungrateful” Figueiredo For Interim Title Complaints at MMA News.

Rogério Bontorin vs. Manel Kape Set For UFC 275 On June 11

An exciting flyweight scrap between Rogério Bontorin and Manel Kape has been added to the UFC 275 pay-per-view. The event, set for June 11, is slated to go down inside the Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang, Singapore. As well as marking the UFC’s return to the Asian nation for the first time since 2019, UFC…

Continue Reading Rogério Bontorin vs. Manel Kape Set For UFC 275 On June 11 at MMA News.

An exciting flyweight scrap between Rogério Bontorin and Manel Kape has been added to the UFC 275 pay-per-view.

The event, set for June 11, is slated to go down inside the Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang, Singapore. As well as marking the UFC’s return to the Asian nation for the first time since 2019, UFC 275 will also represent the MMA leader’s first Singapore-held PPV.

News of Bontorin and Kape’s addition to the card was first reported by Eurosport’s Marcel Dorff.

Kape (17-6), a former Rizin bantamweight champion and the current #14-ranked UFC flyweight contender, has found form in the Octagon after consecutive losses to Matheus Nicolau and Alexandre Pantoja got him off to a losing start in the promotion.

Now, following memorable first-round knockouts of Ode’ Osbourne and Zhalgas Zhumagulov, the Portuguese-Angolan star is looking to continue his momentum up the 125-pound ladder.

He was initially set to have the chance to do so against Sumudaerji last month. However, the bout was scrapped after “Starboy” withdrew due to “personal reasons.” Kape later revealed that he’d been flagged by the Nevada State Athletic Commission for the DHCMT Turinabol M3 metabolite. Given his quick booking, it stands to reason that he’s been cleared of any wrongdoing.

The cancelation has now turned out to be somewhat of a blessing in disguise for Kape, as he’s now set for the chance to fight even further up the ladder against the #8-ranked Bontorin (16-4). The Brazilian was originally scheduled to welcome Kape to the UFC in 2020, but that bout fell away after Bontorin suffered an ankle injury.

While “Starboy” is riding a two-fight win streak, the higher-ranked Bontorin is without a victory since 2019. As well as defeats to Ray Borg, Kai Kara-France, and Brandon Royval, the Brazilian saw a decision victory over Matt Schnell overturned after he tested positive for hydrochlorothiazide.

Kape will be looking to enter the top 10 at flyweight with an impressive display in Singapore, while Bontorin will be looking to rebound by halting the charge of the Portuguese-Angolan.

The current fights expected to take place at UFC 275 are as follows:

Glover Teixeira (C) vs. Ji?í Procházka (light heavyweight championship main event)

Valentina Shevchenko (C) vs. Taila Santos (women’s flyweight championship co-main event)

Zhang Weili vs. Joanna J?drzejczyk (women’s strawweight)

Rogerio Bontorin vs. Manel kape (flyweight)

Brendan Allen vs. Jacob Malkoun (middleweight)

Kyung Ho Kang vs. Batgerel Danaa (bantamweight)

Jack Della Maddalena vs. Ramazan Emeev (welterweight)

Seung Woo Choi vs. Joshua Culibao (featherweight)

Hayisaer Maheshate vs. Steve Garcia Jr. (bantamweight)

Joselyne Edwards vs. Ramona Pascual (women’s bantamweight)

Orion Cosce vs. Mike Mathetha (welterweight)

Na Liang vs. Silvana Gomez Juarez (women’s strawweight)

Who do you think will have their hand raised at UFC 275, Rogerio Bontorin or Manel Kape?

Continue Reading Rogério Bontorin vs. Manel Kape Set For UFC 275 On June 11 at MMA News.

Manel Kape Says Foot Pedicures Helped Him Improve His Fighting

UFC flyweight Manel Kape claims foot pedicures have caused big improvements in how he fights recently.

The former RIZIN Bantamweight Champion had a rough start to his UFC run, dropping two bouts in early 2021. However, he has since made a name for …

Manel Kape (Photo Credit: Zuffa LLC)

UFC flyweight Manel Kape claims foot pedicures have caused big improvements in how he fights recently.

The former RIZIN Bantamweight Champion had a rough start to his UFC run, dropping two bouts in early 2021. However, he has since made a name for himself and become ranked at flyweight with two finish wins.

Kape claims getting pedicures has helped him get a grip on the UFC Octagon canvas, giving him a “good base” to land punches.

“The problem is the skin [on my feet] is dead. The skin is very dead. They take all the skin [that’s] dead from my feet so my feet can stay fixed very well on the floor and don’t slide,” said Kape on Episode 352 of The MMA Road Show With John Morgan. “If you see other fights, even in Japan … I’m like in an [ice] rink.”

After Rough Start, Kape Finished 2021 Strong

Manel Kape
Manel Kape (Photo: RIZIN FF)

It’s clear that Kape’s improvements, which he partly attributes to pedicures, have been evident in the cage. Kape had initially struggled in the UFC, losing two consecutive bouts to start the year.

Kape made his UFC debut in February, losing a unanimous decision to Alexandre Pantoja. He returned just a month later, dropping a razor-thin split decision to Matheus Nicolau.

The Kape that many recognized from his RIZIN days has come out more recently. He has picked up two consecutive first-round finish wins since August. His first was a highlight-reel flying knee win over Ode Osbourne at UFC 265.

Manel Kape stuns Ode' Osbourne with impressive flying knee - ESPN Video
Manel Kape Flying Knee

Kape most recently appeared earlier this month, putting away Zhalgas Zhumagulov with punches on December 4.

The #14-ranked flyweight hopes he can earn a title fight after scoring two more wins in the promotion. Now training in Las Vegas, Nevada, the “Starboy” hopes the future will be bright.

Do you think Manel Kape’s recent improvements will lead him to a title shot someday?

Continue Reading Manel Kape Says Foot Pedicures Helped Him Improve His Fighting at MMA News.

UFC’s Zhalgas Zhumagulov Has 2 Wives: ‘At First, There Were Challenges’

As crazy as it might sound, being a professional cage fighter may not be the most challenging thing in the life of Zhalgas Zhumagulov.

Zhumagulov is a Kazakh flyweight who has gone 1-3 in his UFC run thus far, hampering the hype that was surroundin…

Zhalgas Zhumagulov Wife

As crazy as it might sound, being a professional cage fighter may not be the most challenging thing in the life of Zhalgas Zhumagulov.

Zhumagulov is a Kazakh flyweight who has gone 1-3 in his UFC run thus far, hampering the hype that was surrounding the former Fight Nights Global champion. His most recent fight saw him suffer a TKO at the hands of Manel Kape over the weekend, who is also a highly touted prospect at 125lb.

However, it was his personal life that was the subject of conversation recently when he was speaking on the “Let Me Interrupt You” YouTube channel. Here, the 33-year old explained that, in addition to having 6 children, he is also married to two different women at the same time, a practice that he says is normal in part of the world.

“Yes, I have two wives—two wives and six children,” Zhumagulov said (h/t Low Kick MMA). “In principle, it’s normal. At first, there were challenges but now everything is fine.”

As far as how he divides up his time within his polyamorous relationship, Zhumagulov says that he goes back and forth between the two wives, spending one day with each before going to the next one. This helps to keep everyone happy and maintain his relationships with the pair of women.

”Well, where did I leave from? If I left, for example, from my second wife, I go to the first. If I left the first, I go to the second. A day here, a day there,” Zhumagulov said.

While this is commonplace in the region of the world that Zhalgas Zhumagulov hails from, polygamous relationships are only starting to grow in popularity in the Western world. Perhaps his example will open the eyes to others about the benefits of this type of lifestyle.

Continue Reading UFC’s Zhalgas Zhumagulov Has 2 Wives: ‘At First, There Were Challenges’ at MMA News.

Manel Kape Stops Zhalgas Zhumagulov With First Round Flurry – UFC Vegas 44 Highlights

Manel KapeAngolan-born flyweight sensation, Manel Kape improves to 2-2 in the UFC from four separate outings this year — stopping former Fight Nights Global flyweight champion, Zhalgas Zhumagulov with an opening round flurry of strikes on the preliminary card of UFC Vegas 44. Entering the bout with his flyweight counterpart off the back of his first […]

Manel Kape

Angolan-born flyweight sensation, Manel Kape improves to 2-2 in the UFC from four separate outings this year — stopping former Fight Nights Global flyweight champion, Zhalgas Zhumagulov with an opening round flurry of strikes on the preliminary card of UFC Vegas 44.

Entering the bout with his flyweight counterpart off the back of his first Octagon victory, Kape snapped a two-fight losing run against Alexandre Pantoja and Matheus Nicolau, with a stunning opening round flying knee knockout win over ‘Ode Osbourne at UFC 265 back in August.

Manel Kape lodges his second first round stoppage victory in the UFC

In search of a Performance of the Night bonus, Kape, a former Rizin FF bantamweight titleholder startly brightly against Zhumagulov — dropping the Kazakh native with a lightning fight one-two in the center of the Octagon after a brisk opening between the pair.

Unable to recover sufficiently, Zhumagulov was swarmed by Kape at the Octagon fence, who unloaded with a barrage of strikes, eventually dropping him once more before he was corralled by Keith Peterson.

Below, catch the highlights from Manel Kape’s second UFC win.

Manel Kape Scores First UFC Win With Flying-Knee KO Over Ode’ Osbourne – UFC 265 Highlights

KapeFormer Rizin FF bantamweight champion, Manel Kape has lodged his first Octagon victory — via a stunning opening round flying-knee knockout stoppage over Ode’ Osbourne in the featured UFC Fight Pass preliminary bout at UFC 265. Tipping the scales for his flyweight bout at 129lbs on Friday, Kape, who had dropped his first two UFC […]

Kape

Former Rizin FF bantamweight champion, Manel Kape has lodged his first Octagon victory — via a stunning opening round flying-knee knockout stoppage over Ode’ Osbourne in the featured UFC Fight Pass preliminary bout at UFC 265.

Tipping the scales for his flyweight bout at 129lbs on Friday, Kape, who had dropped his first two UFC outings to Brazilain pair, Alexandre Pantoja and Matheus Nicolau — was in much need of a victory against Osbourne.

Timing an expertly launched flying-knee, with just 16-seconds remaining in the opening round, Kape dropped Osbourne before following up with a volley of ground strikes — lodging an important first UFC triumph.

Below, catch the highlights from Kape’s first UFC win against Osbourne.