Fighters from around the globe dream of the day they’ll step into the UFC octagon for the first time. For one athlete, Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 184 event marked that special moment in their career.
Check out this week’s rookie report to see what kind of first impression they made on the sport’s biggest stage from the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
Manel Kape
Division: Flyweight
Result: Alexandre Pantoja def. Manel Kape via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
Record: 15-5 MMA, 0-1 UFC
Grade: C
Manel Kape’s eagerly anticipated arrival in the octagon may not have delivered a debut victory, but the fact he looked competitive against a top contender despite not seeming at his best should be considered an encouraging sign for the former Rizin FF bantamweight champion’s UFC career.
Kape started out working the outside and presented a constantly-moving target for Pantoja to pin down as he circled the outer reaches of the octagon and looked to counter as the Brazilian moved in. He also looked very wary of Pantoja’s takedowns as he kept his distance and dipped his hips in anticipation of takedown attempts.
When Kape did throw, he connected with some decent strikes, but looked to be too much on the back foot as Pantoja dictated terms through much the opening round.
Kape looked to up his output in Round 2 as he loosened up and let his strikes – including a few unorthodox techniques – flow. But despite looking more active, Pantoja looked the busier man in the exchanges, and was more often the man to initiate the striking exchanges. Kape did a good job of staying out of too much danger, but his output level wasn’t enough to give him a chance of stealing the round.
With his first two UFC rounds, and any potential octagon jitters, in the rearview mirror, Kape looked much improved in Round 3 as he turned up the pressure and connected far more effectively with his strikes. Rather than working off the back foot, Kape held the center of the octagon a lot better in the final frame and edged the striking in the final five minutes to earn the nod from two of the three judges in that round.
Unfortunately, Kape’s slow start cost him on the scorecards overall, with the judges scoring the fight 29-28, 29-28, 30-27 in Pantoja’s favor. While the defeat probably won’t prove too damaging to Kape’s reputation or potential in the UFC flyweight division, it likely shook off any possible pre-fight nerves.
It wasn’t quite the same powerful, all-action Kape we’ve seen in the past in Rizin FF but, despite not being at his explosive best, “Star Boy” showed plenty to suggest that if he steps into the octagon and hits the gas pedal from the opening bell from his next bout onward, he’ll quickly become a serious threat in the UFC’s 125-pound division, and possibly at bantamweight, too.