Manel Kape dominated in the UFC Fight Night 253 main event, but if you ask Asu Almabayev, the finish was not without controversy.
The flyweight bout at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas saw Kape (21-7 MMA, 7-3 UFC) excel at every turn, but Almabayev (21-3 MMA, 4-1 UFC) was unable to get the referee’s attention to address a potential eye poke. As a result, Kape kept fighting to record a TKO stoppage at 2:16 of Round 3.
To start the fight, Kape quickly took control of the center of the octagon and patiently applied forward pressure. A few darting strikes found the target early, keeping Almabayev on his back foot with his defensive guard high. As the opening round progressed, Almabayev landed his share of counter hooks when circling, but Kape clearly outlanded and sent him to the stool bloodied and swollen.
In Round 2, Kape felt more comfortable with the fight’s flow. He toyed around a bit with his movement and added a couple of quick taunts, but Almabayev was still there to connect with some offense. Kape’s explosiveness was more effective as he darted in with a variety of attacks, including jumping knees and spinning kicks.
In the third round, Kape turned up the pressure. Almabayev attempted to signal to referee Mike Beltran that he was poked in the eye, but the referee didn’t give him a pause. A replay clearly showed Kape scraped him across the face.
Without the referee’s intervention, Kape kept working for a finish by chasing Almabayev across the octagon, pouring on the strikes until the eventual TKO stoppage.
STARBOY DOES IT AGAIN!
@ManelKape gets it done in the third! #UFCVegas103 pic.twitter.com/cH7SQZDxMS
— UFC (@ufc) March 2, 2025
“They gonna deny again my title shot?” Kape said during his post-fight interview with Jon Anik. “… I’m going to steal that belt like I steal candy from my daughter.”
“Be ready.”
Manel Kape with a message to the UFC flyweight division after his win
#UFCVegas103 pic.twitter.com/QeRa2izfSc
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) March 2, 2025
Kape then brought his daughter into the octagon to let her say, “Daddy win.”
With the win, Kape finds himself on the shortlist for flyweight title contention. He entered this bout on the heels of another third round stoppage against Bruno Silva, and was orginally scheduled to face Brandon Royval before an injury forced an opponent change.
The result marks the end of a 17-fight winning streak for Almabayev. The former M-1 champion won his first four UFC bouts, but came up short in his first main event opportunity, although he may have complaints about how it all went down with the eye poke.
Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 253 results include:
- Manel Kape def. Asu Almabayev via TKO (punches) – Round 3, 2:16
- Cody Brundage def. Julian Marquez via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 4:45
- Nasrat Haqparast def. Esteban Ribovics via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
- Hyder Amil def. William Gomis via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
- Sam Patterson def. Danny Barlow via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 3:10
- Mario Pinto def. Austen Lane via knockout (punch) – Round 2, 0:39
- Chepe Mariscal def. Ricardo Ramos via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Danny Silva def. Lucas Almeida via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
- JJ Aldrich def. Andrea Lee via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
- Ramazan Temirov def. Charles Johnson via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 253.
