Manuel Pedro Gomes (born November 14, 1993) better known as Manel Kape, is an Angolan

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorpo ...

currently competing as a

flyweight Flyweight is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Flyweight is a class in boxing which includes fighters weighing above 49 kg (108 lb) and up to 51 kg (112 lb). Professional boxing The flyweight division was the last of b ...

in the

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

. A professional competitor since 2012, he has formerly competed for Cage Fighters, Knock Out Championship and Rizin Fighting Federation. He is the former Rizin Bantamweight Champion and the former Knock Out Championship Bantamweight champion. As of December 19, 2022, he is #9 in the UFC flyweight rankings.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Manel Kape had several boxing matches prior to beginning his mixed martial arts career, all of which occurred before his first MMA fight at the age of 14. He made his professional debut at 17, fighting with Cage Fighters, at Cage Fighters 2, when he faced Artur Gomes. Kape won the bout in the first round by way of TKO. Fighting at Cage Fighters - Challengers Norte 1 he was scheduled to face Renato Ferreira. He made quick work of his opponent, ending the fight by TKO, after just 45 seconds. Next he fought Ricardo Teixeira, earning his first submission win, ending the fight in the first round with a rear naked choke. His last fight with Cage Fighters was at Cage Fighters 3, when he fought Marco Santos. He won the fight with a unanimous decision. Moving to Knock Out Championship he fought Souksavanh Khampasath. He would suffer his first professional loss, losing through a rear naked choke. Recouping, he fought Hicham Rachid at Invictus 1, and won the fight with a flying knee to the body. He next fought at Ansgar Fighting League 2, against Daniel Barez. He beat Barez through a verbal tapout, forced by a tight armbar cinched by Kape. Returning to the second Invictus event, Kape faced Miguel Valverde. He won the fight with a rear naked choke in the first round. He was then scheduled to fight Antoine Gallinaro. Kape won the fight in the fourth round through an armbar, which earned him the KOC Bantamweight title. Kape continued his winning streak by beating Francisco Javier Asprilla by way of a third-round TKO. Manel Kape was scheduled to fight Damien ‘The Rage’ Rooney at BAMMA 22 in the 3Arena in

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 c ...

. Kape would later pull out of the bout. Kape was then set to fight against the Brazilian João Elias, but the fight would likewise be cancelled. Manel Kape was scheduled to fight at Knock Out Championship 9 against Moktar Benkaci for the KOC bantamweight championship. This would be the third consecutive fight that fizzled out for Manel Kape.

Rizin Fighting Federation

Following a two-year hiatus, due to the three canceled bouts, Kape would sign with Rizin Fighting Federation and was set to take part in the Rizin bantamweight Grand Prix. He made his debut at Rizin 6 when he faced Erson Yamamoto. Yamamoto was confused by Kape's

trash-talk Trash talk is a form of insult usually found in sports events, although it is not exclusive to sports or similarly characterized events. It is often used to intimidate the opposition and/or make them less confident in their abilities as to win e ...

during the fight, as he allegedly said "

our Our or OUR may refer to: * The possessive form of " we" * Our (river), in Belgium, Luxembourg, and Germany * Our, Belgium, a village in Belgium * Our, Jura, a commune in France * Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR), a government utility regulato ...

mom just lost and ouare next", since Erson's mother had lost earlier in the evening. Kape would go on to win the fight after just 71 seconds with a left leg head kick KO, although the stoppage was considered early by many observers. In the second round of the Grand Prix, Kape was scheduled to fight the former Tachi Palace flyweight champion Ian McCall. The two got into a physical altercation at the weigh-ins, with Kape slapping McCall and McCall responding with a strike to the face of Kape. The two had to be separated by the officials present. Kape would win the fight by TKO in the second minute of the first round, after the ringside doctors stopped the fight due to a cut. In the Grand Prix semifinals he fought one of the world's best bantamweights in

Kyoji Horiguchi is a Japanese mixed martial artist currently competing in Bellator MMA and Rizin FF in the Flyweight division. He is the former bantamweight champion in both organizations. As of December 13, 2022, he is #6 in the Bellator Bantamweight Rankings ...

. Although Kape gave his opponent a competitive fight, he would lose the bout in the third round, after Horiguchi locked in an arm triangle choke. Manel Kape was scheduled to fight Kai Asakura Rizin 10. He would lose a split decision, in a close and exciting fight, which would be nominated as the Fight of the Month by MMA Junkie. At Rizin 13 Manel was scheduled to face Yusaku Nakamura. Kape beat Nakamura with a rear naked choke at the end of the third round. Kape's next fight was against

Ulka Sasaki Ulka may refer to: * Ulka Gupta (born 1997), Indian film and television actress * Ulka Sasaki (born 1989), Japanese mixed martial artist * DRDO Ulka Ulka (Sanskrit: meteor or firebrand) is an air-launched expendable target drone of India. Desc ...

. Sasaki would win a comfortable unanimous decision combining good striking with a strong ground game to beat Kape. Manel Kape was to fight the ZST flyweight champion Seiichiro Ito at Rizin 15. Kape defeated Ito with a strong left hook to the body, which gave him a KO win in the second round. At Rizin 18 Manel Kape was scheduled to fight the 14 fight

UFC The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

veteran and former

World Extreme Cagefighting World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) was an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion founded in 2001. It was purchased by Zuffa, LLC, the parent company of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), in 2006. In its final incarnation, it was mad ...

bantamweight title challenger

Takeya Mizugaki (born December 16, 1983) is a retired Japanese mixed martial artist who most notably competed in the Bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional competitor from 2005 to 2020, Mizugaki also competed for Absolute ...

. Kape would earn a dominant second-round KO win, stunning Mizugaki with a powerful uppercut, before landing a right hook to the jaw of Mizugaki. Following the win, Kape called out the Rizin bantamweight champion

would in the meantime vacate the belt due to a knee injury. Kape was scheduled to fight Kai Asakura in a rematch, this time with the vacant bantamweight title on the line. The fight was preceded with peculiar trash-talk, as Manel Kape tore a cardboard cutout of Kai Asakura, declaring "You are already dead", and proceeding to chew up the cardboard remains. During the fight itself, Asakura tried to make use of his reach to outfight, while Kape looked to blitz in and land strikes. He would find success in the second round, earning a TKO victory following a barrage of punches. This win would earn him a Fighter of the Year nomination for the Asian MMA awards.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

On the 30th of March 2020, Manel Kape announced that he had penned a four-fight deal with the

. Kape was expected to make his promotional debut against

Rogério Bontorin Rogério Raab Bontorin (born 25 April 1992) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who competes in the Bantamweight division of Rizin Fighting Federation. A professional since 2013, he most notably fought in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC ...

on August 15, 2020 at

UFC 252 ''UFC 252: Miocic vs. Cormier 3'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on August 15, 2020 at the UFC Apex facility in Enterprise, Nevada, part of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area, United Sta ...

. The fight was later cancelled, as Bontorin suffered an ankle injury. Kape was scheduled to fight

Alexandre Pantoja Alexandre Pantoja Passidomo (born, April 16, 1990) is a Brazilian mixed martial arts fighter, currently fighting for the UFC and is the flyweight champion of the Resurrection Fighting Alliance and Shooto Brazil. As of August 20, 2022, he is ...

December 19, 2020 at UFC Fight Night: Thompson vs. Neal. However, Pantoja pulled out of the fight in early December due to

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickly ...

symptoms. Kape served as a potential replacement for the

UFC Flyweight Championship Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) champions are fighters who have won UFC championships. Historical notes At the time of the UFC's inception in 1993, mixed martial arts was not sanctioned in the United States, and did not include weight classe ...

bout between

Deiveson Figueiredo Deiveson Alcântara Figueiredo (born December 18, 1987) is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Flyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he is the two-time and current UFC Flyw ...

and

Brandon Moreno Brandon Carrillo Moreno (born December 7, 1993) is a Mexican professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Flyweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he is a former UFC Flyweight Champion, and the cu ...

a week earlier at

UFC 256 ''UFC 256: Figueiredo vs. Moreno'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on December 12, 2020 at the UFC Apex facility in Enterprise, Nevada, part of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area, United ...

. The pairing was rescheduled on February 6, 2021 at UFC Fight Night: Overeem vs. Volkov. Kape lost the fight via unanimous decision. Kape faced

Matheus Nicolau Matheus Nicolau Pereira (born January 6, 1993) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who is currently competing in the Flyweight division for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He has also competed in the Brave Combat Federation (Brave CF) ...

, as an replacement for Tagir Ulanbekov, on March 13, 2021 at UFC Fight Night: Edwards vs. Muhammad. He lost the fight via controversial split decision. 21 out of 21 media members scored the fight for Kape. Kape faced

Ode' Osbourne Ode’ Omaani Osbourne (born January 9, 1992) is a Jamaican mixed martial artist who competes in the Flyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Background Growing up in Kingston, Jamaica, Osbourne lived primarily with his grandmoth ...

on August 7, 2021 at

UFC 265 ''UFC 265: Lewis vs. Gane'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on August 7, 2021, at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas, United States. Background An interim UFC Heavyweight Championshi ...

. At the weigh-ins, Kape weighed in at 129 pounds, three pounds over the flyweight non-title fight limit. The bout proceeded at catchweight and Kape was fined 20% of his purse, which went to Osbourne. He won the fight via knockout in round one after connecting with a flying knee and following it up with punches. Kape faced

Zhalgas Zhumagulov Zhalgas Mukhambet (born August 29, 1988) better known as Zhalgas Zhumagulov, is a retired Kazakh mixed martial artist who competed in the Flyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Mixed martial arts career Early career Zhumagulov ...

on December 4, 2021 at

UFC on ESPN 31 ''UFC on ESPN: Font vs. Aldo'' (also known as ''UFC on ESPN 31'' and ''UFC Vegas 44'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on December 4, 2021 at the UFC Apex facility in Enterprise, Nevad ...

. He won the fight via technical knockout in round one. Kape was scheduled to face

Su Mudaerji Su Mudaerji ( ch: 苏木达尔基 tb: བསོད་ནམས་དར་རྒྱས།, born January 20, 1996), sometimes written as Sumudaerji is a Chinese mixed martial artist who competes in the Flyweight and Bantamweight divisions of the U ...

on April 23, 2022 at

UFC Fight Night 205 ''UFC Fight Night: Lemos vs. Andrade'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 205'' and ''UFC on ESPN+ 63'' or ''UFC Vegas 52'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on April 23, 2022, at the UF ...

. However, just three days before the event, Kape withdrew due to personal reasons and the bout was scrapped. Kape was scheduled to face

on June 11, 2022, at

UFC 275 ''UFC 275: Teixeira vs. Procházka'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on June 12, 2022, at the Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang, Singapore. Background A UFC Light Heavyweight Champi ...

. However, the bout was scrapped the day before the event due to Bontorin suffering kidney issues related to cutting weight. Kape faced

David Dvořák David Dvořák (born June 5, 1992) is a Czech mixed martial artist. A professional since 2010, he currently competes in the Flyweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of December 19, 2022, he is #10 in the UFC flyweight ...

on December 17, 2022 at

UFC Fight Night 216 ''UFC Fight Night: Cannonier vs. Strickland'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 216, UFC on ESPN+ 74'' and ''UFC Vegas 66'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on December 17, 2022, at the ...

. He won the fight via unanimous decision. Kape is scheduled to face Alex Perez on March 25, 2023 at UFC on ESPN 43.

Championships and achievements

Mixed martial arts

* Rizin Fighting Federation ** RIZIN Bantamweight Championship (One time) *Knock Out Championship **KOC Bantamweight Championship (One time)

Personal life

Kape is the first Portuguese-Angolan fighter to be signed with the

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Win , align=center, 18–6 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Cannonier vs. Strickland , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vega ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 17–6 ,

, TKO (punches) , UFC on ESPN: Font vs. Aldo , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:02 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 16–6 ,

, KO (flying knee and punches) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:44 , Houston, Texas, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 15–6 ,

, Decision (split) , UFC Fight Night: Edwards vs. Muhammad , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 15–5 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Overeem vs. Volkov , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 15–4 , Kai Asakura , TKO (punches) , Rizin 20 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:38 , Saitama, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 14–4 ,

, KO (punch) , Rizin 18 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:36 ,

Nagoya is the largest city in the Chūbu region, the fourth-most populous city and third most populous urban area in Japan, with a population of 2.3million in 2020. Located on the Pacific coast in central Honshu, it is the capital and the most po ...

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 13–4 , Seiichiro Ito , TKO (punch to the body) , Rizin 15 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:59 ,

Yokohama is the second-largest city in Japan by population and the most populous municipality of Japan. It is the capital city and the most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a 2020 population of 3.8 million. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of T ...

, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 12–4 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , Rizin 14 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Saitama, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 12–3 , Yusaku Nakamura , Technical Submission (rear-naked choke) , Rizin 13 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 4:27 , Saitama, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 11–3 , Kai Asakura , Decision (split) , Rizin 10 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Fukuoka is the sixth-largest city in Japan, the second-largest port city after Yokohama, and the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. The city is built along the shores of Hakata Bay, and has been a center of international commerce since anc ...

, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 11–2 ,

, Submission (arm-triangle choke) , Rizin World Grand Prix 2017: Final Round , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 4:27 , Saitama, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 11–1 , Ian McCall , TKO (doctor stoppage) , Rizin World Grand Prix 2017: 2nd Round , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:46 , Saitama, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 10–1 , Erson Yamamoto , TKO (head kick and punch) , Rizin World Grand Prix 2017: Opening Round - Part 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:11 , Saitama, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 9–1 , Francisco Javier Asprilla , TKO (punches) , International Pro Combat 7 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 4:59 , Lisbon, Portugal , , - , Win , align=center, 8–1 , Antoine Gallinaro , Submission (armbar) , Knock Out Championship 8 , , align=center, 4 , align=center, 2:26 ,

Cognac Cognac ( , also , ) is a variety of brandy named after the commune of Cognac, France. It is produced in the surrounding wine-growing region in the departments of Charente and Charente-Maritime. Cognac production falls under French appella ...

, France , , - , Win , align=center, 7–1 , Miguel Valverde , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Invictus Pro MMA League 2 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, N/A ,

Porto Porto or Oporto () is the second-largest city in Portugal, the capital of the Porto District, and one of the Iberian Peninsula's major urban areas. Porto city proper, which is the entire municipality of Porto, is small compared to its metropol ...

, Portugal , , - , Win , align=center, 6–1 , Daniel Barez , Submission (verbal) , Ansgar Fighting League 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:25 ,

Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the Largest cities of the Europ ...

, Spain , , - , Win , align=center, 5–1 , Hicham Rachid , KO (flying knee to the body) , Invictus Pro MMA League 1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:42 ,

, Portugal , , - , Loss , align=center, 4–1 , Souksavanh Khampasath , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Knock Out Championship 7 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 3:27 ,

, France , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Marco Santos , Decision (unanimous) , Cage Fighters 3 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Matosinhos, Portugal , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Ricardo Teixeira , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Cage Fighters: Challengers Norte 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:38 , Matosinhos, Portugal , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Renato Ferreira , TKO (punches) , Cage Fighters: Challengers Norte 1 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:45 , Matosinhos, Portugal , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Artur Gomes , TKO (punches) , Cage Fighters 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:27 , Matosinhos, Portugal , , -

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kape, Manel Living people 1993 births Angolan male mixed martial artists Portuguese sportspeople of Angolan descent Portuguese male mixed martial artists Flyweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing boxing Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Angolan practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu Portuguese practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu People awarded a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters Sportspeople from Luanda