Manel Kape wants his title shot now. Kape made a strong case for why he should challenge flyweight champion Joshua Van, knocking out Brandon Royval with relative ease in their UFC Fight Night main event.
Kape executed his game plan to a T. Before Saturday’s fight, Kape said he wanted to back Royval to the fence before unleashing his trademark power. He did exactly that. Kape forced Royval on the back foot with a series of punches, then uncorked a right hook against the fence that dropped Royval. One ultra-precise follow-up shot briefly rendered Royval unconscious in Round 1. Royval briefly protested the storage, but quickly relented, and a replay confirmed that he was out cold if only for a moment.
“Now we’re talking. Joshua Van, you said Brandon Royval would kick my ass,” Kape said in his post-fight interview. “You replaced me. You have my belt. If I didn’t break my foot in July, I’d be the champion right now.”
Kape was twice scheduled to fight Royval earlier this year. Most recently, Kape pulled out of UFC 317 in June. Van replaced Kape and beat Royval in a Fight of the Year frontrunner to earn a title shot, subsequently beating Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 323 to win the flyweight championship.
“Now, baby, listen very well, I’m here,” Kape said. “Your daddy is going to take your diapers alive on the new Paramount deal. I’m going to take your diapers alive. Get ready. You’re in Houston, right? Let’s fight in Houston in February. Sign the contract.
“Nobody can deny my belt. I’m the best here.”
Kape’s impressive performance further complicates the flyweight title picture. Kape, now tied with Joseph Benavidez for most KOs (five) in UFC flyweight history, will likely usurp Royval’s No. 2 ranking. That will put him behind Pantoja, who’s currently out with an arm injury, and Tatsuro Taira, who beat two-time champion Brandon Moreno last week.
UFC matchmakers could realistically insert any of the top three flyweight contenders in a title fight, depending on their availability.
This news was originally published on this post .
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