Manel Kape reacts to Alexandre Pantoja's UFC 310 win over Kai Asakura, recalls fighting 'The Cannibal' in promotional debut: "He didn't do anything"
Manel Kape has weighed in on longtime rival Alexandre Pantoja's recent one-sided victory over his former opponent, Japan's Kai Asakura. 'Starboy' also harked back to his own fight against Pantoja.
Back in December 2019, the Angola-born Portuguese athlete knocked out Asakura to capture the vacant RIZIN bantamweight title. Kape's very next fight was his UFC debut in February 2021, when he suffered a unanimous decision defeat in a flyweight matchup against Pantoja.
Eventually, the Brazilian became the UFC flyweight champion and has notched three successful title defenses. 'The Cannibal' last defended it via second-round submission against Asakura in the ex-RIZIN star's promotional debut at UFC 310 this past weekend.
Manel Kape, meanwhile, faces Bruno Silva at UFC Tampa this Saturday. During his fight week media day session, Kape alluded to coming off a closely contested decision defeat against Muhammad Mokaev in July. He doesn't view that as a loss and expects to fight for the title after beating Silva.
When asked about the Alexandre Pantoja-Kai Asakura fight, Kape stated:
"Was an actual great fight. I just see that it's first time for Kai Asakura to drop to 125. And he was not rehydrate like he was on bantamweight."
Kape indicated that, akin to how T.J. Dillashaw was self-admittedly affected by the weight cut while dropping from bantamweight to flyweight against Henry Cejudo in 2019, Asakura similarly wasn't rehydrated in his flyweight return at UFC 310.
He feels Asakura looked good and ripped but wasn't strong and lost a lot of power. Kape added that the Japanese fighter should take time to accustom his body to the weight.
Moreover, on Brandon Royval potentially getting a title shot before he does, Manel Kape said:
"When Pantoja fight Brandon Royval, he make sure that he win. He win, and that win was like unanimous decision. And it was pretty sure that the levels between him and Moreno and all the guys he fought, it was not the same. If you look to my fight, against Pantoja, it was my first fight in UFC and he didn't do anything.
"Of course, I didn't do so much. But I win rounds. So I'm a fighter, five-rounder. In five rounds, I grow up every round. And he know my potential. He know my skills. And it's gonna be a different fight."
Check out Kape's comments below:
Is a potential Alexandre Pantoja vs. Manel Kape rematch on the horizon?
Presently, Kape is ranked No. 9 in the official UFC flyweight rankings, while his UFC Tampa opponent stands at No. 12. Meanwhile, Royval is ranked No. 1. Royval and former flyweight kingpin, the No. 2-ranked Brandon Moreno, are considered to be in the title mix as of now.
However, the caveat is that Royval and Moreno have two defeats each to Alexandre Pantoja. Moreno has also lost an exhibition bout to Pantoja during their time on The Ultimate Fighter.
After UFC 310, Alexandre Pantoja called out former UFC flyweight champion and ex-ONE Championship titleholder Demetrious 'Mighty Mouse' Johnson. The retired Johnson clarified that he's not returning.