"I'm undefeated in the streets" - UFC flyweight Manel Kape believes he could beat up Israel Adesanya in street fight
Manel Kape recently claimed that he could emerge victorious in a theoretical street fight against Israel Adesanya.
Tensions between Kape and Adesanya began simmering when they encountered each other during the pre-fight press conference for UFC 293 last September.
Ahead of his bout against Felipe dos Santos, 'Starboy' unleashed verbal attacks on Kai Kara-France, who had withdrawn from their fight due to a concussion suffered in training.
Kape's confrontation with 'Don't Blink' in the audience elicited a response from the former UFC middleweight champion, who is a teammate of Kara-France's and was present on stage to promote his main event bout against Sean Strickland.
During his recent appearance on the JAXXON Podcast, Kape weighed in on his conflict with Adesanya and confidently proclaimed his ability to triumph over 'The Last Stylebender' in a street fight:
"I'm undefeated in the streets. I don't give a f**k. I already beat many guys of his size. I don't give a f**k [about his size]. I think, bro, I can beat him; put him in front of me in the streets, and we're gonna see. [Adesanya] is pretty good; I'm pretty good too, brother."
Check out Manel Kape's comments below:
Check out Manel Kape's full interview below:
When Manel Kape said Israel Adesanya apologized to him backstage at UFC 293 presser
Despite the intense confrontation between Israel Adesanya and Manel Kape, a physical altercation was prevented at the time due to security intervention, which appeared to resolve the situation.
However, in an interview with MMA Fighting last October, 'Starboy' stated that Adesanya approached him backstage and extended an apology:
"After all this talk, he came to me backstage, 'Hey, no disrespect, we are African, we’re brothers.' I said, 'We are not brothers. Look, my problem is with Kai Kara, not with you. Why did you stand up? He can handle his business.'"
Kape clarified that he had no prior animosity towards 'The Last Stylebender' until their altercation at the pre-fight press conference. However, he emphasized that the incident wasn't merely a promotional tactic to fuel his rivalry with Kai Kara-France.
Kape said that he refused to accept Adesanya's apology when they crossed paths again two days later at UFC 293:
"He backed down again. Ask them what he said to me backstage. No man, no size, I don’t fear them, and I’m undefeated in the streets."