Enjoying a great run of form, Manel Kape secured another victory at UFC Vegas 119 , one of the most special of his career. In the main event held this Saturday (20), the Angolan faced Kyoji Horiguchi , his old acquaintance, and simply turned the game around. 'Starboy' was behind on points, but he didn't despair and knocked out the Japanese fighter in the third round. In this way, the athlete got closer to the flyweight title fight (up to 57 kg).
In addition to coming close to challenging champion Joshua Van , Kape evened the score in his rivalry with Horiguchi. In their first encounter, held by Rizin in 2017, the Angolan was submitted by the veteran in the third round. Nine years later, 'Starboy' got his revenge on the Japanese fighter in a more brutal and swift manner. Now, riding a four-fight winning streak, all by knockout, and ranked second in the flyweight division, the athlete has once again proven that he is ready to conquer the UFC belt.
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Manel Kape knocked out Horiguchi at UFC. Photo: Reproduction/X/UFC
Epic comeback!
Due to the high level of skill, the athletes showed respect for each other in the octagon. Horiguchi and Kape relied on low kicks and body shots. Horiguchi startled Kape with a cross, but Kape responded and rocked him with a straight punch. Then, the fighters resumed exchanging punches. Focused, Horiguchi unbalanced Kape with a low kick. Alert, Kape defended against takedown attempts. Again, Horiguchi landed a good kick to Kape's body. In the end, Horiguchi took Kape down and defended against a guillotine choke.
In the second round, Horiguchi continued kicking Kape, who tried to inflict damage with his punches. Confident, Horiguchi unbalanced Kape with a high kick and then executed a beautiful takedown. On top, Horiguchi controlled Kape and delivered punches and elbows. On the bottom, Kape tried to lock onto Horiguchi and, at the same time, delivered elbows to his head.
In the third round, Kape showed aggression and startled Horiguchi. However, Horiguchi was not intimidated and also landed some good punches on Kape. Quick, Horiguchi easily struck Kape with jabs and kicks. When he threw a low kick, Kape lost his balance. Then, Kape knocked Horiguchi down with a cross. Sensing the smell of blood, Kape took advantage of Horiguchi's precarious situation on the ground and finished the fight with a series of punches.
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UFC Vegas 119 results
MAIN CARD
Flyweight (up to 57 kg): Manel Kape defeated Kyoji Horiguchi by technical knockout (punches) at 2:42 of round 3.
Light heavyweight (up to 93 kg): Navajo Stirling defeated Ion Cutelaba by technical knockout (punches) at 3:23 of round 2.
Featherweight (up to 65,7 kg): Christian Rodriguez defeated Hyder Amil by submission (guillotine choke) at 3:43 of Round 1.
Featherweight (up to 65,7 kg): Murtazali Magomedov defeated Melsik Baghdasaryan by submission (twister) at 1:17 of round 1.
Featherweight (up to 65,7 kg): Vinicius LokDog defeated Andre Fili by technical knockout (punches and elbows) at 4:56 of round 2.
PRELIMINARY CARD
Flyweight (up to 57 kg): Kevin Borjas defeated André Mascote by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Bantamweight (up to 61,2 kg): Beatriz Mesquita defeated Melissa Mullins by submission (armbar) at 3:16 of round 1.
Flyweight (up to 57 kg): Mitch Raposo defeated Allan Puro Osso by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Featherweight (up to 65,7 kg): Gaston Bolanos defeated Michael Aswell Jr. by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Welterweight (up to 77,1 kg): Levan Chokheli defeated Leon Shahbazyan by technical knockout (punches to the waistline) at 23 seconds of round 1.
Bantamweight (up to 61,2 kg): Luana Santos defeated Karol Rosa by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Featherweight (up to 65,7 kg): Shane Collins defeated Otari Tanzilovi by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
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