LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – MARCH 01: (R-L) Manel Kape of Angola punches Asu Almabayev of Kazakstan in a flyweight battle throughout the UFC Struggle Evening occasion at UFC APEX on March 01, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photograph by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
Asu Almabayev stepped into his first UFC principal occasion on brief discover on Saturday, ranked #8 within the flyweight division and paired up with former RIZIN bantamweight champ Manel Kape.
Kape began the night time at #5 within the 125lb division, and was on the short-list for potential challengers to champion Alexander Pantoja.
Early on, after a little bit of feeling out, Manel Kape caught a kick, then let his arms go, although he couldn’t fairly dump Almabayev, who pulled free. Almabayev relied on kicks and overhands, working from the surface throughout the opening couple of minutes. Kape in the meantime discovered a house for his left hand, and compelled him to retreat greater than as soon as. Almabayev tried a spinning kick, however Kape stepped ahead on the identical time and the blow was off-target. Kape fired a knee, and Almabayev answered with a left hand. Kape was having nice success together with his proper hand because the spherical progressed, as evidenced by the harm to Almabayev’s left eye.
Late within the spherical, Asu Almabayev ducked down for a takedown, solely to see it stuffed. After one other Kape assault, Almabayev seemed for a bodylock, however misplaced it. Good spherical for Manel Kape, and a tough begin for Almabayev.
Almabayev fired low kicks and spinning assaults early within the second spherical, however Kape was by no means standing nonetheless, and just too arduous to hit. Kape ducked beneath punches, side-stepped them, and appeared to develop extra assured by the minute. When Almabayev did land, he tried to observe up with a bounce knee, just for Kape to catch it. Almabayev’s most constant success got here together with his kicks, however as soon as once more, because the spherical wore on, it was Manel Kape attacking, and Almabayev retreating. Knees and proper arms have been touchdown for Kape; Almabayev related to the physique. Within the ultimate 30 seconds, the battle was briefly paused for a would-be eye poke, however the assessment choose cageside dominated it a authorized strike, and motion was again underway inside seconds.
After probably the profitable the primary two rounds, Manel Kape didn’t take his foot of the cage within the third. He put the strain on and Almabayev shot for a takedown, solely to eat a number of elbows. After they bought again up, Kape labored Almabayev over alongside the fence as Asu coated up. Almabayev appeared to have points together with his eye, doubtlessly from a graze that went unnoticed. Almabayev was motioning for a day out, however didn’t get it. Almabayev then actually ran throughout the spherical, turning his again on the battle whereas Kape pursued him. That was sufficient for ref Mike Beltran, who didn’t like what he was seeing and waved off the battle.
How a lot the attention poke within the third factored in is a query, nevertheless it was Almabayev’s job to battle on, and he didn’t. Kape, in the meantime, known as out “who’s next against me? They’re going to deny again my title shot?” following the win.
Official End result: Manel Kape def. Asu Almabayev by TKO, Spherical 3, 2:16
