TAMPA, Fla. – Manel Kape believes he’s proper across the nook from a title shot, and guarantees a rematch in opposition to UFC flyweight champ Alexandre Pantoja can be a a lot totally different battle.
At UFC on ESPN 63, Kape (19-7 MMA, 4-3 UFC) returns to the octagon for the second time in 2024, trying to return to the win column in opposition to Bruno Silva. It’s the lone males’s flyweight battle on the cardboard, and “Starboy” believes it is going to be essentially the most thrilling battle of the occasion.
“What I like about Bruno is he doesn’t stroll again, he tries to seek out the battle,” Kape instructed reporters at Wednesday’s media day. “That’s what I like. … He wish to bang, I wish to bang, so it’s going to be virtually the identical like my battle in Australia in opposition to Felipe dos Santos, and we now have an ideal potential to win the bonus; Struggle of the Evening.”
Kape noticed a four-fight win streak come to an finish in his final battle at UFC 304 in opposition to Muhammad Mokaev. However, if you happen to ask him, on account of being the simpler striker and all the fouls that went uncalled, he didn’t lose.
“A win over Bruno goes to get me to the title,” Kape stated. “I’m nonetheless on a successful streak, by the way in which. I didn’t lose my final battle.”
Pantoja is coming off his third profitable title protection in opposition to UFC newcomer and former Rizin champ Kai Asakura at UFC 310. With that win means a number of rematch choices for the champ, together with Brandon Moreno, Brandon Royval, and Kape, who made his UFC debut in opposition to Pantoja. Kape misplaced that battle in 2021 by unanimous choice, and strongly believes a rematch for the title can be a lot totally different in 2025.
“When Pantoja fought Brandon Royval, he ensure that he win. That win was a unanimous choice and it was fairly certain the degrees between him and Moreno and different guys that he fought, it was not the identical. If you happen to look to my battle in opposition to Pantoja, it was my first battle in UFC and he didn’t do something. After all, I didn’t do a lot, however I win rounds. I’m a fighter preventing 5 rounds. I develop up each spherical. He is aware of my potential. He is aware of my expertise. It’s going to be a special battle.”
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