TAMPA, Fla. – Manel Kape believes he’s right around the corner from a title shot, and promises a rematch against UFC flyweight champ Alexandre Pantoja would be a much different fight.
At UFC on ESPN 63, Kape (19-7 MMA, 4-3 UFC) returns to the octagon for the second time in 2024, looking to return to the win column against Bruno Silva. It’s the lone men’s flyweight fight on the card, and “Starboy” believes it will be the most exciting fight of the event.
“What I like about Bruno is he doesn’t walk back, he tries to find the fight,” Kape told reporters at Wednesday’s media day. “That’s what I like. … He like to bang, I like to bang, so it’s going to be almost the same like my fight in Australia against Felipe dos Santos, and we have a great potential to win the bonus; Fight of the Night.”
Kape saw a four-fight win streak come to an end in his last fight at UFC 304 against Muhammad Mokaev. But, if you ask him, due to being the more effective striker and all of the fouls that went uncalled, he didn’t lose.
“A win over Bruno is going to get me to the title,” Kape said. “I’m still on a winning streak, by the way. I didn’t lose my last fight.”
Pantoja is coming off his third successful title defense against UFC newcomer and former Rizin champ Kai Asakura at UFC 310. With that win means a host of rematch options for the champ, including Brandon Moreno, Brandon Royval, and Kape, who made his UFC debut against Pantoja. Kape lost that fight in 2021 by unanimous decision, and strongly believes a rematch for the title would be much different in 2025.
“When Pantoja fought Brandon Royval, he make sure that he win. That win was a unanimous decision and it was pretty sure the levels between him and Moreno and other guys that he fought, it was not the same. If you look to my fight against Pantoja, it was my first fight in UFC and he didn’t do anything. Of course, I didn’t do much, but I win rounds. I’m a fighter fighting five rounds. I grow up every round. He knows my potential. He knows my skills. It’s going to be a different fight.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 63.
