Going into UFC 304, the bad blood between Manel Kape and Muhammad Mokaev was at its height. However, both the fighters seem to have forgotten the animosity as soon as that fight started. Mokaev won, but the fight was more controversial and lackluster than action-packed.
Despite the mutual grudge, when the fight finally started, both fighters took a backseat and didn’t engage much for 15 minutes. Kape did connect more significant strikes, but the British flyweight was more active and scored takedowns. In the second round, during a leg exchange, Kape appeared to be suffering from a broken toe. But that didn’t stop Mokaev from shooting for the legs.
In the process, Mokaev grabbed Kape’s shorts and tried to pull it down. This bizarre sequence forced referee Mike Beltran to stop the action. At the end of the third round, Mokaev was declared the winner via unanimous decision. Hence, this put an end to their months-old rivalry.
Several months ago, both Mokaev and Manel Kape had an alleged physical altercation in front of the UFC Performance Institution. Although Kape cleared the air and mentioned it was a fake story, fans were skeptical. Things turned ugly when both fighters got into another altercation at the Fighters hotel before UFC 304. However, now things are visibly better between both the fighters.
Muhammad Mokaev buries the hatchet against Manel Kape after picking up a win at UFC 304
Even before the fight had started, Manel Kape and Muhammad Mokaev were eager to put their hands on each other. The UFC security team had to stop both fighters from fighting each other. After getting the win, Muhammad Mokaev showed immense respect for Kape and seemed to have ended the rivalry.
Muhammad Mokaev takes the win at UFC 304 against Manel Kape (via X)It was Mokaev’s last fight in his UFC career, during which he managed to get a massive win going into the negotiations. During the Octagon interview with Daniel Cormier, Mokaev tried to hype the Manchester crowd. He then asked them to show respect for Manel Kape for the fight.
Please clap to Manel Kape. 23 years old, 7-0 in UFC. I want a title shot, eh guys do I deserve new UFC contract?
Muhammad Mokaev via UFC 304 octagon interview
With the win, Mokaev extended his UFC record to 7-0 and had big plans going forward. The fighter previously claimed that UFC deliberately stopped him from breaking Jon Jones‘ youngest champion record. However, the fighter has no interest in stopping anytime soon until he gets the title shot. On the other hand, Kape just lost his four-fight winning streak with the loss tonight.
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