Manel Kape to replace Kai Kara-France against Alex Perez at UFC San Antonio in March

With Kai Kara-France pulling out of his bout against Alex Perez at UFC 284 due to an unfortunate injury, it is now being reported that Manel Kape will be stepping in to face Perez at the UFC Fight Night card in San Antonio on March 25.

Perez was pulled from the UFC 284 card entirely once his original opponent Kai Kara-France was forced out due to injury. Subsequently, Perez did not get a replacement opponent for the card in Australia but will instead fight closer to home with the March event in Texas instead.

This dealt another blow to what was supposed to be one of the most stacked cards of 2023, with the Paulo Costa vs. Robert Whittaker middleweight contest confirmed to be off after contract negotiations with the Brazilian fell through.

The news was first reported by MMAFighting, who also confirmed the promotion's plans.

Check out the tweet below:

🚨| Kai Kara-France is OUT. Manel Kape will step in to take on Alex Perez at #UFCSanAntonio on March 25th.
[per @MMAFighting]
#UFCSanAntonio #UFC #MMA https://t.co/68lmTcZnff

Alex Perez will be looking to redeem himself from two straight losses in a row after he fell to reigning UFC flyweight champion Deiveson Figureido at UFC 255 and Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 277. He was defeated via first-round submissions on both occasions.

Manel Kape will be looking to build on a three-fight win streak, recently defeating David Dvorak via unanimous decision at UFC Vegas 66.

Before that, Kape impressed fans with his exceptional performances against Zhalgas Zhumagulov at UFC Vegas 44 and Ode' Osbourne at UFC 265. He secured first-round knockouts against his opponents on both occasions.

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When Manel Kape explained his taunting against David Dvorak at UFC Vegas 66

Manel Kape recently defeated David Dvorak at the UFC Vegas 66 event on December 17, extending his win streak to three straight fights. The Angolan is a former RIZIN bantamweight champion and is currently the No.9-ranked flyweight in the UFC.

Kape faced Dvorak in a heated preliminary contest that saw 'Starboy' almost secure a first-round submission after he caught Dvorak in a kimura but the Czech flyweight powered through.

As the fight continued, Kape channeled his inner Nate Diaz as he taunted and jibed at his opponent in the latter rounds, eventually emerging as the winner via unanimous decision.

In his post-fight presser, the Angolan was asked to comment on his antics in the octagon. Manel Kape cited his confidence as a fighter and stated:

"I feel like a fish in water, you know? When I step in the cage, I feel very comfortable. I do everything that I do. I do everything I want. It’s my space, so I have a little bit of fun like I didn’t have for a long time. I just want to show this division how comfortable I am inside the cage.”

Watch the full video below: