Manel Kape

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Manel Kape
Born (1993-11-14) November 14, 1993 (age 27)
Luanda, Angola[1]
Nickname(s)Prodígio
NationalityAngolan and Portuguese
Height5 ft 5 in (1.65 m)
Weight125 lb (57 kg; 8 st 13 lb)
DivisionFlyweight (2012–2014) (2021-present)
Bantamweight (2014–2019)
Reach68 in (173 cm) [2]
Fighting out ofPhuket, Thailand
TeamAKA Thailand[3]
Years active2012-present
Mixed martial arts record
Total22
Wins16
By knockout10
By submission5
By decision1
Losses6
By submission2
By decision4
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Manel Kape (born 14 November 1993) is an Angolan mixed martial artist currently competing as a flyweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.[4] A professional competitor since 2012, he has formerly competed for Cage Fighters, Knock Out Championship and Rizin Fighting Federation. He is the former Rizin Bantamweight Champion and the former Knock Out Championship Bantamweight champion.[5]

Mixed martial arts career[]

Early career[]

Manel Kape had several boxing matches prior to beginning his mixed martial arts career, all of which occurred before his first MMA fight at the age of 14.[6][7]

He made his professional debut at 17, fighting with Cage Fighters, at Cage Fighters 2, when he faced Artur Gomes. Kape won the bout in the first round by way of TKO.[8] Fighting at Cage Fighters - Challengers Norte 1 he was scheduled to face Renato Ferreira. He made quick work of his opponent, ending the fight by TKO, after just 45 seconds.[9] Next he fought Ricardo Teixeira, earning his first submission win, ending the fight in the first round with a rear naked choke.[10] His last fight with Cage Fighters was at Cage Fighters 3, when he fought Marco Santos. He won the fight with a unanimous decision.[11]

Moving to Knock Out Championship he fought Souksavanh Khampasath. He would suffer his first professional loss, losing through a rear naked choke.[12] Recouping, he fought Hicham Rachid at Invictus 1, and won the fight with a flying knee to the body.[13] He next fought at Ansgar Fighting League 2, against Daniel Barez. He beat Barez through a verbal tapout, forced by a tight armbar cinched by Kape.[14] Returning to the second Invictus event, Kape faced Miguel Valverde. He won the fight with a rear naked choke in the first round.[15] He was then scheduled to fight Antoine Gallinaro.[16] Kape won the fight in the fourth round through an armbar, which earned him the KOC Bantamweight title.[17] Kape continued his winning streak by beating Francisco Javier Asprilla by way of a third-round TKO.[18]

Manel Kape was scheduled to fight Damien ‘The Rage’ Rooney at BAMMA 22 in the 3Arena in Dublin.[19] Kape would later pull out of the bout.[20] Kape was then set to fight against the Brazilian João Elias, but the fight would likewise be cancelled.[21] Manel Kape was scheduled to fight at Knock Out Championship 9 against Moktar Benkaci for the KOC bantamweight championship.[22] This would be the third consecutive fight that fizzled out for Manel Kape.[23]

Rizin Fighting Federation[]

Following a two-year hiatus, due to the three canceled bouts, Kape would sign with Rizin Fighting Federation and was set to take part in the Rizin bantamweight Grand Prix. He made his debut at Rizin 6 when he faced Erson Yamamoto. Yamamoto was confused by Kape's trash-talk during the fight, as he allegedly said "[your] mom just lost and [you] are next", since Erson's mother had lost earlier in the evening.[24] Kape would go on to win the fight after just 71 seconds with a left leg head kick KO, although the stoppage was considered early by many observers.[25]

In the second round of the Grand Prix, Kape was scheduled to fight the former Tachi Palace flyweight champion Ian McCall.[26] The two got into a physical altercation at the weigh-ins, with Kape slapping McCall and McCall responding with a strike to the face of Kape. The two had to be separated by the officials present.[27] Kape would win the fight by TKO in the second minute of the first round, after McCall's face was unfortunately cut by the ring ropes.[28]

In the Grand Prix semifinals he fought one of the world's best bantamweights in Kyoji Horiguchi. Although Kape gave his opponent a competitive fight, he would lose the bout in the third round, after Horiguchi locked in an arm triangle choke.[29]

Manel Kape was scheduled to fight Kai Asakura Rizin 10. He would lose a split decision, in a close and exciting fight, which would be nominated as the Fight of the Month by MMA Junkie.[30]

At Rizin 13 Manel was scheduled to face Yusaku Nakamura.[31] Kape beat Nakamura with a rear naked choke at the end of the third round.[32]

Kape's next fight was against Ulka Sasaki.[33] Sasaki would win a comfortable unanimous decision combining good striking with a strong ground game to beat Kape.[34]

Manel Kape was to fight the ZST flyweight champion Seiichiro Ito at Rizin 15.[35] Kape defeated Ito with a strong left hook to the body, which gave him a KO win in the second round.[36]

At Rizin 18 Manel Kape was scheduled to fight the 14 fight UFC veteran and former World Extreme Cagefighting bantamweight title challenger Takeya Mizugaki.[37] Kape would earn a dominant second-round KO win, stunning Mizugaki with a powerful uppercut, before landing a right hook to the jaw of Mizugaki. Following the win, Kape called out the Rizin bantamweight champion Kyoji Horiguchi.[38]

Kyoji Horiguchi would in the meantime vacate the belt due to a knee injury. Kape was scheduled to fight Kai Asakura in a rematch, this time with the vacant bantamweight title on the line.[39] The fight was preceded with peculiar trash-talk, as Manel Kape tore a cardboard cutout of Kai Asakura, declaring "You are already dead", and proceeding to chew up the cardboard remains.[40] During the fight itself, Asakura tried to make use of his reach to outfight, while Kape looked to blitz in and land strikes. He would find success in the second round, earning a TKO victory following a barrage of punches.[41] This win would earn him a Fighter of the Year nomination for the Asian MMA awards.[42]

Ultimate Fighting Championship[]

On the 30th of March 2020, Manel Kape announced that he had penned a four-fight deal with the Ultimate Fighting Championship.[43]

Kape was expected to make his promotional debut against Rogério Bontorin on August 15, 2020 at UFC 252.[44] The fight was later cancelled, as Bontorin suffered an ankle injury.[45]

Kape was scheduled to fight Alexandre Pantoja December 19, 2020 at UFC Fight Night: Thompson vs. Neal.[46] However, Pantoja pulled out of the fight in early December due to COVID-19 sequelae.[47][48] Kape served as a potential replacement for the UFC Flyweight Championship bout between current champion Deiveson Figueiredo and Brandon Moreno a week earlier at UFC 256.[49] The pairing was rescheduled on February 6, 2021 at UFC Fight Night: Overeem vs. Volkov.[50] Kape lost the fight via unanimous decision.[51]

Kape faced Matheus Nicolau, as an replacement for Tagir Ulanbekov, on March 13, 2021 at UFC Fight Night: Edwards vs. Muhammad.[52] He lost the fight via controversial split decision.[53] 21 out of 21 media members scored the fight for Kape.[54]

Kape faced Ode' Osbourne on August 7, 2021 at UFC 265.[55] At the weigh-ins, Kape weighed in at 129 pounds, three pounds over the flyweight non-title fight limit. The bout proceeded at catchweight and Kape was fined 20% of his purse, which went to Osbourne.[56] He won the fight via knockout in round one.[57]

Championships and achievements[]

Mixed martial arts[]

Personal life[]

Kape is the first Portuguese-Angolan fighter to be signed with the Ultimate Fighting Championship.[58]

Mixed martial arts record[]

Professional record breakdown
22 matches 16 wins 6 losses
By knockout 10 0
By submission 5 2
By decision 1 4
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Win 16–6 Ode' Osbourne KO (flying knee and punches) UFC 265 August 7, 2021 1 4:44 Houston, Texas, United States Catchweight (129 lb) bout; Kape missed weight.
Loss 15–6 Matheus Nicolau Decision (split) UFC Fight Night: Edwards vs. Muhammad March 13, 2021 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Loss 15–5 Alexandre Pantoja Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Overeem vs. Volkov February 6, 2021 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Return to Flyweight.
Win 15–4 Kai Asakura TKO (punches) Rizin 20 December 31, 2019 2 0:38 Saitama, Japan Won the Rizin Bantamweight Championship.
Win 14–4 Takeya Mizugaki KO (punch) Rizin 18 August 18, 2019 2 1:36 Nagoya, Japan
Win 13–4 Seiichiro Ito TKO (punch to the body) Rizin 15 April 21, 2019 2 3:59 Yokohama, Japan
Loss 12–4 Ulka Sasaki Decision (unanimous) Rizin 14 December 31, 2018 3 5:00 Saitama, Japan
Win 12–3 Yusaku Nakamura Technical Submission (rear-naked choke) Rizin 13 September 30, 2018 3 4:27 Saitama, Japan Flyweight bout.
Loss 11–3 Kai Asakura Decision (split) Rizin 10 May 6, 2018 3 5:00 Fukuoka, Japan
Loss 11–2 Kyoji Horiguchi Submission (arm-triangle choke) Rizin World Grand Prix 2017: Final Round December 31, 2017 3 4:27 Saitama, Japan 2017 Rizin Bantamweight Grand-Prix Semifinal.
Win 11–1 Ian McCall TKO (doctor stoppage) Rizin World Grand Prix 2017: 2nd Round December 29, 2017 1 1:46 Saitama, Japan 2017 Rizin Bantamweight Grand-Prix Quarterfinal.
Win 10–1 Erson Yamamoto TKO (head kick and punch) Rizin World Grand Prix 2017: Opening Round - Part 2 October 15, 2017 1 1:11 Saitama, Japan 2017 Rizin Bantamweight Grand-Prix First Round.
Win 9–1 Francisco Javier Asprilla TKO (punches) International Pro Combat 7 April 27, 2015 3 N/A Lisbon, Portugal
Win 8–1 Antoine Gallinaro Submission (armbar) Knock Out Championship 8 April 18, 2015 4 2:26 Charente, France Won the KOC Bantamweight Championship.
Win 7–1 Miguel Valverde Submission (rear-naked choke) Invictus - Pro MMA League 2 December 19, 2014 3 N/A Porto, Portugal Bantamweight debut.
Win 6–1 Daniel Barez Submission (verbal) Ansgar Fighting League 2 November 29, 2014 1 3:25 Madrid, Spain
Win 5–1 Hicham Rachid KO (flying knee to the body) Invictus - Pro MMA League 1 July 27, 2014 1 2:42 Porto, Portugal
Loss 4–1 Souksavanh Khampasath Submission (rear-naked choke) Knock Out Championship 7 April 5, 2014 3 3:27 Charente, France
Win 4–0 Marco Santos Decision (unanimous) Cage Fighters 3 July 28, 2013 3 5:00 Matosinhos, Portugal
Win 3–0 Ricardo Teixeira Submission (rear-naked choke) Cage Fighters: Challengers Norte 2 February 3, 2013 1 2:38 Matosinhos, Portugal
Win 2–0 Renato Ferreira TKO (punches) Cage Fighters: Challengers Norte 1 November 4, 2012 1 0:45 Matosinhos, Portugal
Win 1–0 Artur Gomes TKO (punches) Cage Fighters 2 May 13, 2012 1 4:27 Matosinhos, Portugal Flyweight debut.

[59]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ "Manel Kape". MMA Core. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  2. ^ "Stats | UFC". ufcstats.com.
  3. ^ "Breaking!!! AKA Thailand's Manel Kape signs 4-fight deal with the UFC". AKA Thailand. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  4. ^ "Breaking!!! AKA Thailand's Manel Kape signs 4-fight deal with the UFC". AKA Thailand. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  5. ^ "Knock Out Championship 8". Mixedmartialarts.com. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  6. ^ "Interview: Manel Kape (Rizin FF Bantamweight)". Kumite TV. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  7. ^ "Manel Kape's Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  8. ^ "Manel Kape vs Artur Gomes". MMA Core. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  9. ^ "Manel "Prodigio" Kape 18 anos VS Renato Ferreira 32 Anos". YouTube. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  10. ^ "RicardoTeixeira". ESPN. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  11. ^ "Manel "Prodígio" Kape VS Marco "Facas" Santos - CageFighters 3". YouTube. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  12. ^ "Souksavanh "yoda" Khampasath vs Manel Kape KOC7". YouTube. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  13. ^ "Manel "Prodigio" Kape vs Hicham Rachid - Invictus Pro MMA 1". YouTube. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  14. ^ "AFL Free Fight: A high quality clash between DANIEL BAREZ and RIZIN champion マネル・ケイプ Manel Prodígio Kape from AFL 2!!". Facebook. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  15. ^ "Miguel Valverde". ESPN. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  16. ^ "Manel Kape Vs Antoine Gallinaro". pythagorejiujitsu. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  17. ^ "Manel Kape vs Antoine Gallinaro". MMA Core. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  18. ^ "Francisco Javier Asprilla". ESPN. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  19. ^ "Damien Rooney vs Manel Kape added to BAMMA 22". Severe MMA. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  20. ^ "Damien Rooney: "I asked for Duquesnoy as soon as he dropped to 135"". Severe MMA. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  21. ^ "Manel Kape vs. João Elias". Tapology. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  22. ^ "KOC 9 – fight card : Benkaci, Djiroun, Kape, Khampasath, Zakarian seront à Cognac le 2 avril prochain". MMA4FIGHT. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  23. ^ "Manel Kape vs. Moktar Benkaci". Tapology. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  24. ^ "BigToneMMA". Twitter. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  25. ^ "MMA's First Mother-Son Duo Suffers Pair of Tough Stoppage Losses in Rizin FF". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  26. ^ "Ex-UFC contender Ian McCall joins Rizin FF bantamweight grand prix, debuts Dec. 29". MMA Junkie. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  27. ^ "Ian McCall, Manel Kape exchange blows at Rizin weigh-ins". MMAFighting. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  28. ^ "MMA Fighter Ian McCall Loses After Ring Rope Cuts Head Open At Rizin FF 8". NESN. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  29. ^ "Rizin FF 9 results: Kyoji Horiguchi claims grand prix title with 3 stoppage wins in 2 days". MMA Junkie. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  30. ^ "MMAjunkie's 'Fight of the Month' for May: Contenders battle in Brazil". MMA Junkie. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  31. ^ "RIZIN.13 Yusaku Nakamura vs Manel Kape 57.0kg / 125.6lbs 5 minutes x 3 rounds Elbows allowed Action packed, high paced speedy fight with fun scrambles". Reddit. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  32. ^ "Yusaku Nakamura vs. Manel Kape". Tapology. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  33. ^ "Kyoji Horiguchi faces Darrion Caldwell in bantamweight title bout at Rizin 14". Asian MMA. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  34. ^ "Horiguchi taps Caldwell, Hamasaki finishes Asakura at Rizin 14". Asian MMA. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  35. ^ "Justin Scoggins replaces Ulka Sasaki, faces Kai Asakura at Rizin 15". Asian MMA. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  36. ^ "Rizin FF 15 results: Prochazka stops 'King Mo' to claim belt, Horiguchi wins again". MMA Junkie. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  37. ^ "Kyoji Horiguchi faces Kai Asakura at Rizin 18". Asian MMA. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  38. ^ "Rizin FF 18 results: Kai Asakura stuns Kyoji Horiguchi in non-title clash". MMA Junkie. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  39. ^ "Miyuu Yamamoto faces Suwanan Boonsorn at Rizin 20". Asian MMA. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  40. ^ "Manel Kape's Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  41. ^ "Rizin FF 20 results: Manel Kape, Seo Hee Ham crowned new champions in Saitama". MMA Junkie. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  42. ^ "2019 Asian MMA Awards". Asian MMA. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  43. ^ "Ex-RIZIN champ Manel Kape signs multi-fight deal with UFC". MMAFighting. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  44. ^ Mike Heck and Guilherme Cruz (2020-06-13). "Manel Kape vs. Rogerio Bontorin targeted for UFC 252". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2020-06-15.
  45. ^ "Rogerio Bontorin Has Been Pulled From UFC 252 Due To A Serious Injury". theringreport.com. Retrieved 12 October 2020.
  46. ^ "Manel Kape to Face Alexandre Pantoja at UFC Fight Night Event on Dec. 19". sherdog.com. Retrieved 4 November 2020.
  47. ^ Steven Marrocco and Guilherme Cruz (2020-12-03). "Alexandre Pantoja vs. Manel Kape scratched from UFC Vegas 17". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2020-12-03.
  48. ^ Guilherme Cruz (2020-12-04). "Alexandre Pantoja 'felt really bad for a week' due to COVID-19 infection, eyes February return vs. Manel Kape". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2020-12-04.
  49. ^ Daniel Cunningham (2020-12-05). "Manel Kape to serve as UFC 256 backup". empiresportsmedia.com. Retrieved 2020-12-05.
  50. ^ Alexander K. Lee, Guilherme Cruz, and Mike Heck (2020-12-26). "Alexandre Pantoja vs. Manel Kape rescheduled for Feb. 6 UFC event". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2020-12-26.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  51. ^ "UFC Fight Night 184 results: Alexandre Pantoja spoils debut of Manel Kape, earns unanimous decision nod". MMA Junkie. 2021-02-07. Retrieved 2021-02-07.
  52. ^ DNA, MMA (2021-03-04). "Manel Kape pakt short notice partij tegen Matheus Nicolau op 13 maart". MMA DNA. Retrieved 2021-03-04.
  53. ^ Anderson, Jay (2021-03-13). "UFC Vegas 21 Results: Matheus Nicolau Wins Razor-Thin Decision Against Manel Kape". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2021-03-14.
  54. ^ "Matheus Nicolau def. Manel Kape :: UFC on ESPN+ 45 :: MMA Decisions". mmadecisions.com. Retrieved 2021-03-14.
  55. ^ DNA, MMA (2021-06-30). "Manel Kape vs. Ode' Osbourne toegevoegd aan UFC 265 in Houston op 7 augustus". MMA DNA. Retrieved 2021-06-30.
  56. ^ Tyler Treese (2021-08-06). "UFC 265 WEIGH-IN RESULTS: INTERIM TITLE FIGHT SET; KAPE MISSES WEIGHT". sherdog.com. Retrieved 2021-08-06.
  57. ^ Behunin, Alex (2021-08-07). "UFC 265 Results: Manel Kape Lands Flying Knee On Ode Osbourne for First UFC Win". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2021-08-08.
  58. ^ "Manel Kape is the first Portuguese-Angolan fighter to sign a contract with the UFC". Verangola. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  59. ^ Sherdog.com. "Manel". Sherdog. Retrieved 2021-03-14.
Retrieved from ""