Manel Kape doesn’t again down from a problem, however it’s troublesome for him to settle any scores when the man he supposedly beat up wasn’t even there.
In early July, Jean Silva claimed he witnessed Kape assault upcoming UFC 304 opponent Muhammad Mokaev outdoors the UFC Efficiency Institute in Las Vegas. The incident allegedly centered round some harsh phrases the flyweights shared on social media, and Silva detailed what he known as his personal firsthand account of watching the altercation unfold.
“He elbowed Mokaev within the head on the road, bro,” Silva claimed. “He caught Mokaev on the entrance right here to the [UFC] P.I. He headbutted him and elbowed him on the street. He opened Mokaev’s head per week earlier than his combat. He’s a psychopath.”
The one drawback with that story, Kape stated, is that it by no means occurred.
“Nothing occurred,” Kape instructed MMA Preventing. “It was simply Jean. I’ve a Brazilian buddy, he made this story [up] simply to boost the combat. He is aware of I’m going to combat Mokaev and we tweeted earlier than prior to now badly with one another, this was public. We by no means hid this from anybody. This was public.”
Whereas altercations between fighters have popped off on the UFC P.I. prior to now, the ability is often full of athletes at any given time at day or night time, so it appeared somewhat unusual that nobody else caught this alleged brawl between Kape and Mokaev.
As additional proof that no bodily altercation ever passed off, Kape was fast to level out that he trains in Las Vegas however Mokaev not often travels to the U.S. except he’s arriving for combat week.
Proximity clever, that may make a road combat between the flyweights somewhat troublesome to facilitate.
“Mokaev is in Dagestan or England, and I’m in Vegas,” Kape stated. “We didn’t have any combat. Individuals like to purchase this fan story. That is the story. By the best way, Jean is an efficient promoter. He’s a superb vendor on the finish of the day. This makes the combat extra thrilling.
“However no, nothing occurred. Me and Mokaev are good, we’re brothers, nothing like this occurred.”
In fact, Kape doesn’t thoughts standing up for himself even when he’s the smaller fighter in a scenario. He famously acquired into a really heated disagreement with former middleweight champion Israel Adesanya forward of UFC 293, and later stated he rebuffed an tried apology from “The Final Stylebender.”
That being stated, Kape’s earlier disagreement with Mokaev was nothing greater than social media bluster because the 23-year-old undefeated prospect began calling out larger ranked flyweights in an try and e book a combat. None of that meant Kape was in search of blood at any time when he bumped into Mokaev once more.
“Mokaev is a younger child and he desires to rise quick,” Kape stated. “He desires to be a champion like Jon Jones so early, and he didn’t get the chance. So in fact he made this sport at the start to catch the massive sharks. He was a small fish within the water, so he wished to get to the massive sharks. So I understood his sport.
“However we by no means had something personally. Not bodily interplay. Jean wished to make this combat a factor. Mokaev, on the finish of the day, is my Muslim brother. All good. However I’m nonetheless the perfect. I’m nonetheless the perfect on this sport. I’m nonetheless younger too. I’m 30 years outdated. Individuals don’t sleep on this. I’m simply getting significantly better.”
In relation to the precise combat on July 27, Kape is worked up to lastly get in there with Mokaev and blend it up after a lot debate by means of social media and interviews.
Kape appreciates the expertise Mokaev has displayed since first arriving in UFC, though he’s seen some shortcomings from Mokaev’s opponents that value them the prospect to finish his unbeaten run.
“Undoubtedly, he’s been successful,” Kape stated. “When the Brazilian man [Jafel Filho] snapped his leg, it was undoubtedly extra his ego speaking. He undoubtedly didn’t need to hand over however it was his ego. In fact, he has a formidable file and he doesn’t need to lose. It’s good too, however he’s put ready the place he’s not going to in a position to proceed to do that on a regular basis. I noticed a number of small errors that the fighters who’re preventing him did, and naturally, the errors of his and he takes the chance of those errors.
“Simply because I say to you and I say to all people, there’s a [difference] on the championship [level]. In fact, all these fighters are good, they’re within the UFC, congrats, however that is completely different. These [are] errors [fighters] with championship materials don’t make. I don’t make errors. I don’t make these sorts of errors. I noticed very effectively what errors these guys are doing with Mokaev they usually didn’t catch him and have been about to catch him. Many occasions they rush rather a lot, and championship fighters don’t rush. We hunt. We’re calm.”
Particularly, Kape checked out Mokaev’s most up-to-date win. Whereas Kape didn’t have many sort issues to say about Tim Elliott, even he noticed moments when the veteran flyweight might have pulled off the upset and crushed Mokaev.
“Tim Elliott is only a bum,” Kape stated. “He’s only a bum. He’s an outdated fighter. He fights like a silly man. He was successful the combat in opposition to Mokaev, don’t get me improper, Tim Elliott was doing nice. He’s simply very sloppy and really dumb. That is my opinion. That is the story of the combat.”
The stakes of the matchup couldn’t get a lot greater, as a result of all indicators are pointing to the winner getting the subsequent shot at reigning UFC flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja.
Kape absolutely expects that state of affairs to play out after speaking to UFC and figuring out a chance to change into champion has been dangling over his head for the previous few months.
“Sure, we’ve been in dialog rather a lot [with the UFC],” Kape revealed. “Even after I was imagined to combat Matheus Nicolau in April, I ought to have fought Pantoja if I [beat] Matheus Nicolau. The combat [Steve] Erceg acquired [at UFC 301] was my alternative. That is the second time, the chance for the belt, so I simply must step within the cage and win.”
