UFC Vegas 103 featured a stunning performance from several fighters, including a thrilling main event bout between Manel Kape and Asu Almabayev.
The flyweight battle had fans on the edge of their seats as Kape relentlessly chased down his opponent with a barrage of strikes. He entered the round with immense energy, landing fast shots and evading takedowns. Kape’s quick reflexes and nimbleness kept his opponent guessing, and he soon landed a savage right hand that opened a cut on Almabayev’s left eye. After a replay, it was revealed that Kape scraped the eye of his opponent but the fight wasn’t stopped and Kape says this error is not on him.
“That’s not my job,” Kape said. “I didn’t see nothing. I think the [referee] should be more attentive. I’ve suffered so [much] stuff in the octagon, so I don’t know. It was clear, for what I’ve seen, it was good, [he] could see me good. If he was not able to fight, if I think he was really stopping, so he was complaining about something, I give him three seconds, and I run back. I just didn’t do anything, so I fight.”
Kape then went for the kill with a grapple, but Almabayev kept his footing and responded with some brutal body shots. However, Kape seemed unfazed. He retaliated with well-timed strikes and kicks, leaving his opponent dazed. Kape continued to fire devastating shots in the following round, causing Almabayev to retreat, but his opponent kept up the pressure. Kape appeared in control, relentlessly launching a barrage of strikes while Almabayev could find no escape. The fight was eventually stopped by the referee, who saw no chance for Almabayev to recover.
The win marks Kape’s second TKO victory, putting him in a prime position for a title shot and he also bagged a $50k for his performance. Kape is eager to face his next opponent, who may very well be the UFC flyweight champion.
“Who’s next? Who’s next against me?” Kape shouted after his win. “Are they going to deny my title shot again? Hey, Hunter [Campbell], you know I’m the best. I just stopped a guy on a 17-fight win streak. Everybody was scared to fight him. You guys really thought I was scared to fight him because he’s a wrestler? I can wrestle, I can stand with anyone in this division. I’m the best. I’m the star boy.”
“Pay attention, [Alexandre] Pantoja, Kai Kara-France, whoever is next to fight against me, be ready. Because I’m going to steal that belt like I stole candy for my daughter.”
In the night’s co-main event, middleweight veteran Cody Brundage won a wild one-round sprint over Julian Marquez. After several minutes of an intense slugfest, 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 streak for Brundage, while Marquez suffered his fourth consecutive KO/TKO loss, likely signalling the end of his eight-year run in the UFC.
Main Card
Manel Kape def. Asu Almabayev via third-round TKO
Cody Brundage def. Julian Marquez via first-round TKO
Nasrat Haqparast def. Esteban Ribovics via split decision
Hyder Amil def. William Gomis via split decision
Sam Patterson def. Danny Barlow via first-round KO
Preliminary Card
Mario Pinto def. Austen Lane via second-round KO
Chepe Mariscal def. Ricardo Ramos via unanimous decision
Danny Silva def. Lucas Almeida via split decision
JJ Aldrich def. Andrea Lee via unanimous decision
Ramazan Temirov def. Charles Johnson via unanimous decision
