Latest news with #Almabayev
Express Tribune
02-03-2025
- Sport
- Express Tribune
Manel Kape's UFC Vegas 103 TKO win sparks eye pokes controversy
Manel Kape secured a dominant TKO victory over Asu Almabayev in the UFC Vegas 103 main event, but the fight did not end without controversy. Multiple eye pokes by Kape, including one that went unnoticed by referee Mike Beltran, have led some fans to question the fairness of the result. Originally scheduled to face former title challenger Brandon Royval, Kape instead took on Almabayev, who stepped in on short notice with a 17-fight winning streak. Kape controlled the fight early, showcasing his power and precision. However, repeated eye pokes, one of which was not called by the referee, may have affected Almabayev's vision as the bout progressed. In the third round, Kape pressed Almabayev against the cage before chasing him down across the Octagon and securing the TKO victory. While the performance reinforced Kape's position as a top flyweight contender, the manner of the win sparked criticism on social media. Fans took to various platforms to express frustration over the unpenalised fouls. One user called the result a 'win via eye poke TKO,' while another claimed Kape had 'cheated' his way to victory. Some compared the fight to previous Kape finishes, arguing he has benefited from illegal strikes in the past. Despite the controversy, Kape received support from several UFC fighters. Former bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling praised the performance, while UFC welterweight champion Belal Muhammad called for Kape to receive a title shot. With back-to-back wins, including a December victory over Bruno Silva, Kape has positioned himself for either a title opportunity or a No. 1 contender fight in the flyweight division. However, questions remain over whether his UFC Vegas 103 win should carry an asterisk due to the contentious eye pokes, even as Kape won 'Performance of the Night' bonus.
Yahoo
02-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
UFC Vegas 103 results: Manel Kape demolishes Asu Almabayev, makes case for next title shot
Manel Kape's long-elusive UFC title shot may finally be within reach. The top-ranked flyweight demolished Asu Almabayev with a third-round barrage of strikes on Saturday in the main event of UFC Vegas 103, earning a statement-making win at the UFC APEX in Las Vegas. The performance pushed Kape to 6-1 over his past seven UFC appearances, with four of those victories ending in knockouts — an impressive mark in and of itself for the 125-pound division, but also one that moved Kape into a four-way tie for second all-time for the most knockouts in UFC flyweight history, behind only Joseph Benavidez (5). Afterward, Kape called for a title shot against the winner of UFC 316's championship bout between Alexandre Pantoja and Kai Kara-France, which goes down June 7 in Newark, New Jersey. "Who is next? Who is next against me? They're going to deny again my title shot?" Kape said. "Hey [UFC CBO] Hunter Campbell, you know I'm the best. I just stopped a guy with a 17 [fight] win streak. Everybody was scared to fight him. You guys really thought that I'm scared to fight him because I'm a wrestler? I can wrestle, I can stand with anyone in this division. I'm the best. I'm the 'Starboy.' "Pay attention Pantoja, Kai Kara-France, whatever — who's next to fight against me, be ready, because I'm going to steal that belt like I stole candies from my daughter." MANEL KAPE FINISHES ASU ALMABAYEV IN THE THIRD ROUND! # — Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) March 2, 2025 Kape (21-7) established his advantage on the feet from the opening bell, darting in and out of range and catching Almabayev (21-3) with an array of long, precise punches. Kape, 31, opened a cut under Almabayev's left eye in the closing moments of the first round, then continued to find success in the second and the third, overwhelming Almabayev, 31, with strikes and easily fending off all six of Almabayev's takedown attempts. Kape finally closed the show with a salvo of unanswered knees, standing elbows and stiff punches, prompting Almabayev to turn his back and run for safety, only to eat another hard right hand that forced referee Mike Beltran to mercifully step in and stop the action at the 2:16 mark of Round 3. In the night's co-main event, middleweight veteran Cody Brundage (11-6, 1 NC) won a wild one-round sprint over Julian Marquez (9-6). After several minutes of back-and-forth brawling, referee Mark Smith stepped in with just 15 seconds left in the opening round as Brundage pummeled Marquez with unanswered punches. The performance snapped a two-fight winless skid for Brundage, while Marquez suffered his fourth consecutive KO/TKO loss, likely signaling the end of his eight-year run in the UFC. CODY BRUNDAGE FINISHES JULIAN MARQUEZ IN THE FIRST! WHAT A FIGHT 🔥 # — Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) March 2, 2025 Catch full UFC Vegas 103 results and highlights of every finish from Saturday's card below. Flyweight: Manel Kape def. Asu Almabayev via TKO (punches) at 2:16 of Round 3 | Watch finish Middleweight: Cody Brundage def. Julian Marquez via TKO (punches) at 4:45 of Round 1 | Watch finish Lightweight: Nasrat Haqparast def. Esteban Ribovics via split decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29) Featherweight: Hyder Amil def. William Gomis via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28) Welterweight: Sam Patterson def. Danny Barlow via KO (punches) at 3:10 of Round 1 | Watch finish Heavyweight: Mario Pinto def. Austen Lane via KO (punch) at :39 of Round 2 | Watch finish Featherweight: Chepe Mariscal def. Ricardo Ramos via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) 148-pound catchweight: Danny Silva def. Lucas Almeida via split decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29) Women's flyweight: JJ Aldrich def. Andrea Lee via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) Flyweight: Ramazan Temirov def. Charles Johnson via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
USA Today
02-03-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
UFC Fight Night 253 results: Manel Kape swarms Asu Almabayev, calls for flyweight title shot
Manel Kape dominated in the UFC Fight Night 253 main event, but if you ask Asu Almabayev, the finish was not without controversy. The flyweight bout at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas saw Kape (21-7 MMA, 7-3 UFC) excel at every turn, but Almabayev (21-3 MMA, 4-1 UFC) was unable to get the referee's attention to address a potential eye poke. As a result, Kape kept fighting to record a TKO stoppage at 2:16 of Round 3. To start the fight, Kape quickly took control of the center of the octagon and patiently applied forward pressure. A few darting strikes found the target early, keeping Almabayev on his back foot with his defensive guard high. As the opening round progressed, Almabayev landed his share of counter hooks when circling, but Kape clearly outlanded and sent him to the stool bloodied and swollen. In Round 2, Kape felt more comfortable with the fight's flow. He toyed around a bit with his movement and added a couple of quick taunts, but Almabayev was still there to connect with some offense. Kape's explosiveness was more effective as he darted in with a variety of attacks, including jumping knees and spinning kicks. In the third round, Kape turned up the pressure. Almabayev attempted to signal to referee Mike Beltran that he was poked in the eye, but the referee didn't give him a pause. A replay clearly showed Kape scraped him across the face. Without the referee's intervention, Kape kept working for a finish by chasing Almabayev across the octagon, pouring on the strikes until the eventual TKO stoppage. 'They gonna deny again my title shot?' Kape said during his post-fight interview with Jon Anik. '… I'm going to steal that belt like I steal candy from my daughter.' 'Be ready.' 👀 Manel Kape with a message to the UFC flyweight division after his win 😤 #UFCVegas103 — ESPN MMA (@espnmma) March 2, 2025 Kape then brought his daughter into the octagon to let her say, 'Daddy win.' With the win, Kape finds himself on the shortlist for flyweight title contention. He entered this bout on the heels of another third round stoppage against Bruno Silva, and was orginally scheduled to face Brandon Royval before an injury forced an opponent change. The result marks the end of a 17-fight winning streak for Almabayev. The former M-1 champion won his first four UFC bouts, but came up short in his first main event opportunity, although he may have complaints about how it all went down with the eye poke. Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 253 results include: For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie's event hub for UFC Fight Night 253.
USA Today
01-03-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
UFC Fight Night 253: Kape vs. Almabayev odds, picks and predictions
In a 5-round flyweight bout in the main event, Manel Kape and Asu Almabayev meet at UFC Fight Night 253 — also known as UFC on ESPN+ 111 and UFC Vegas 103 — Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Let's analyze BetMGM Sportsbook's UFC odds around the UFC Fight Night 253: Kape vs. Almabayev odds, and make our expert picks and predictions. The prelims start at 4:30 p.m. ET (ESPN+), with the main card starting at 7 p.m. ET (ESPN+). Records: Kape (20-7-0) | Almabayev (21-2-0) The southpaw Kape takes the walk to the octagon with a 3-inch reach advantage. He also has a 5.05-to-2.11 significant strikes landed per minute advantage, although Almabayev is slightly more accurate on those strikes at 62.41% to just 57.19% for the Portuguese fighter. Almabayev has a 5.08 takedown average, and a 1.69 submission average, so he might be keen to get the fight to the mat as quickly possible. Kape, a.k.a. 'Starboy,' posted a Round 3 KO/TKO win over Bruno Silva Dec. 14, 2014, at UFC Tampa, and he has won 5 of his past 6 bouts. The finish against Silva was a rarity, as his previous 3 fights had been unanimous decisions. Almabayev has 4 fights under his belt at the UFC level, and he is a perfect 4-for-4. He has 3 straight unanimous-decision victories, including one over Matheus Nicolau last time out on Oct. 19, 2024. His only finish at the UFC level was his debut against Ode' Osbourne in Round 2 Aug. 5, 2023. Watch this card with ESPN+ by signing up here. UFC Fight Night 253: Kape vs. Almabayev odds Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 9:05 a.m. ET. Fight result (2-way line) : Kape -220 (bet $220 to win $100) | Almabayev +180 (bet $100 to win $180) : Kape -220 (bet $220 to win $100) | Almabayev +180 (bet $100 to win $180) Total Rounds: Over 4.5 Rounds (Over -160 | Under +125) Over 4.5 Rounds (Over -160 | Under +125) Will the fight go the distance? (Yes -155 | No +115) UFC Fight Night 253: Kape vs. Almabayev picks and predictions Kape (-220) will set you back 2.2 times your potential return, and that's OK if you were to include him in a multi-leg parlay. Betting the favorite straight up isn't the best way to go, however. Almabayev will provide a very stiff test for the veteran Kape, but this is also a big step up in competition for the Kazakh fighter. Kape should do enough to wow the judges, as he is much more experienced at the UFC level. KAPE ON POINTS (+175) is a strong play for the chance to nearly double up. OVER 4.5 ROUNDS (-160) isn't priced out of line if you want a little wiggle room in the event of a late Round 5 finish, although there isn't much difference in playing YES (-155): WILL THE FIGHT GO THE DISTANCE? It's a personal choice, and you're basically buying 90 seconds at a small price for a little bit of insurance. FIGHT TO START ROUND 5 (-200) is a little steeper of a price, but if you toss it into a multi-leg parlay, or you were to use a boost here, that's not the end of the world. Visit MMA Junkie for more fight news and analysis. For more sports betting picks and tips, check out and BetFTW. Follow Kevin J. Erickson on Twitter/X. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter/X and us on Facebook.
Yahoo
28-02-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
UFC Vegas 103 Main Event Preview and Prediction: Manel Kape
Tomorrow night in the main event of UFC Vegas 103, we are going to see a pivotal matchup in the flyweight division. Top ten contenders will battle it out as Manel Kape (20-7) takes on a new opponent in Asu Almabayev (21-2). Originally, Kape was supposed to have a title eliminator against Brandon Royval, but Royval pulled out of the fight with an injury. With that, Almabayev has stepped in to this main event. I'm still expecting Kape to earn a title shot should he get the win. Kape is 5-1 in his last six fights and he's one of the most exciting and dynamic flyweights in the world. Asu Almabayev steps into a golden opportunity here. Almabayev made his UFC debut back in 2023 and so far, he's gone 4-0 inside the octagon. In his last fight he defeated Matheus Nicolau and that win moved him into the top ten. Overall, Almabayev has won 17 fights in a row. In terms of the main event tomorrow night, I'm going to be watching for two things. I'm going to be watching cardio and I'm going to be watching the wrestling of Almabayev. Almabayev knows where his path to victory is. He cannot stand and strike with Kape over the course of five rounds. He'll either get finished or completely dominated. Kape has a huge advantage on the feet with his speed and power. Almabayev was only 1/6 on takedowns in his last fight and if that repeats itself at UFC Vegas 103, it's going to be a really long night for him. If he wins, it's going to look like Muhammad Mokaev's win over Manel Kape. Mokaev was able to threaten takedowns which made Kape hesitant to throw. I think Kape is going to get the job done tomorrow night. I just think he's going to be too much on the feet and I think he'll defend enough takedowns to avoid getting controlled for the better part of three must-reads: UFC Des Moines adding Marlon 'Chito' Vera – Mario Bautista (Report) UFC 314 adds Bryce Mitchell – Jean Silva
