Manel Kape accused of cheating in UFC Vegas 103 main event after controversial KO win

UFC flyweight contender Manel Kape’s TKO win at UFC Vegas 103 didn’t play out without some controversy.

Manel Kape set himself apart from the flyweight pack with a wild win at UFC Vegas 103. After he was originally supposed to face former title challenger Brandon Royval, Asu Almabayev stepped up on weeks’ notice to face Kape in the main event.

Despite facing an opponent with a 17-fight winning streak, Kape put on a dominant performance from the get-go. But over the first few rounds, multiple eye pokes, one of which wasn’t noticed by referee Mike Beltran, might’ve impacted Almabayev’s vision as the fight went on.

After Kape had Almabayev against the cage in Round 3, Kape chased down Almabayev across the Octagon and eventually secured the TKO victory.

While Kape’s gameplan and approach were impressive against Almabayev, some fans believe the UFC Vegas 103 main event deserves to have an asterisk in the history books.

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Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLCManel Kape’s TKO win draws an asterisk from some fans over multiple eye pokesFans were critical of Kape’s multiple eye swipes on social media.

“That was the worst kind of fight. Kape cheats. He will never win a title because he can’t even beat someone Mokaev’s level, but he will knock off prospects and eye poke his way to title eliminators,” one fan wrote.

“Manel Kape has finished his last 2 opponents by hitting them with an illegal shot and then swarming them after lol,” another fan said.

“How f—— s— is Mike Beltran? 2 blatant eye pokes by Manel Kape & he rewards him with a TKO win. I swear the reffing is getting worse by the week. Kape wins via eye poke TKO.”

“Manel Kape literally just won by eye poke and no one addressed it. This is why they happen so much. Cheating with no consequences.”

Despite the controversy, not all of the reviews of Kape’s performance were negative.

“Manel Kape fights for the belt next!! Great performance!” UFC featherweight Aljamain Sterling posted.

“Kape is deserving of a title fight! Looked amazing and in total control tonight,” bantamweight Aiemann Zahabi said.

“Give that man a title shot,” UFC welterweight champion Belal Muhammad declared.

Kape entered UFC Vegas 103 riding a ton of momentum after an impressive win over Bruno Silva at UFC Tampa in December. To start 2025, Kape made a strong case for a title shot, or at worst, a potential No. 1 contender fight.

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Manel Kape is closing in on Alexandre Pantoja rematch after UFC Vegas 103Kape and UFC flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja could potentially be on a collision course after UFC Vegas 103. Pantoja last defended the title against Kape’s former Rizin rival, Kai Asakura, at UFC 310 in December.

Pantoja is rumored for a clash with Kai Kara-France, but as of this writing, nothing is official. Kara-France hasn’t fought since finishing Steve Erceg at UFC 305 in August.

Kape fought Pantoja in his UFC debut in 2021, losing to the eventual flyweight titleholder by unanimous decision. After back-to-back losses to begin his UFC tenure, Kape has won six of his last seven fights.

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