This past Saturday on the main card of UFC Tampa, we saw a banger of a flyweight matchup between two ranked contenders. Former Rizin champion Manel Kape (20-7) took on surging contender Bruno Silva (14-6-2).
When the UFC signed Manel Kape, there was a ton of hype surrounding the signing. Kape was looked at as a guy who could definitely win a world title if he was performing at his best. So far, we’ve seen flashes of the best of Manel Kape inside the octagon.
Saturday night showed why there was so much hype behind him when he first signed. Kape was insanely fast and dynamic. He was incredibly fun to watch as he danced in front of a dangerous Bruno Silva. Silva was firing with everything he had and while he was fast himself, it seemed like he was moving in slow motion compared to Kape. Kape put everything together on Saturday at UFC Tampa and secured a third round TKO win.
UFC title shot next?
After the fight was over, Kape called for a flyweight title shot against Alexandre Pantoja. Kape made his octagon debut against Pantoja back in 2021 and lost a decision. That said, the version of Kape that we saw on Saturday night was not the same version that fought Pantoja back in 2021. Worth noting that the flyweight champion is much better than he was back in 2021 as well.
Given Pantoja’s success against the top ranked flyweights in the UFC, Kape is a compelling challenger. That said, I don’t think this is the route to go. Kai Kara-France is the leading candidate for the next title shot in terms of fighters who are currently flyweights. That said, I don’t think he should get the next title shot either.
I think the UFC should rebook the matchup between Manel Kape and Kai Kara-France. These two were supposed to fight in 2023 but KKF had to pull out with a concussion. I think if Deiveson Figueiredo is seriously about moving back down to flyweight, he should get the next shot and we should settle the beef between Manel Kape and Kai Kara-France.