Manel Kape took three low blows from Bruno Silva at UFC Tampa | UFC on ESPN 63 but battled on and managed to get a stoppage win that caught Dana White’s attention.
Kape (20-7 MMA, 5-3 UFC) battered the streaking Silva (14-6-2 MMA, 4-3 UFC) from early on in the flyweight bout at Amalie Arena. He pushed forward through the multiple groin strikes, and before the third round, was talking to UFC CEO White about how he should be next for champion Alexandre Pantoja.
Then Kape came out in the third and put it on Silva, eventually landing a big combination that sent his foe crumpling to the canvas for the TKO at the 1:56 mark of Round 3 (via X):
Manel Kape was FIRED UP after his finish at #UFCTampa 🔥 pic.twitter.com/GqWBUZDPNF
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) December 15, 2024
Moments after the finish, Kape went back over to White and told him through the cage “I’ve never asked for anything” during his UFC career, but he wants this shot at gold. White said he would meet him backstage to discuss what’s next after the big win.
“I’m the next against Pantoja,” Kape said in his post-fight interview with Michael Bisping. “There are levels to do this shit, and I am the one that’s going to destroy Pantoja. So, Dana, put me to fight against Pantoja because I am the next pay-per-view star at flyweight. No one can be like me. No one can dress like me. I am terrific. I am the best.”
Manel Kape’s emote game goes crazy 😭🔥 #UFCTampapic.twitter.com/hDSNjA2WEX
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) December 15, 2024