Mick Maynard's Shoes: What's next for Manel Kape after UFC Vegas 119 win?
· Yahoo Sports
Manel Kape made a clear statement of intent for the flyweight title in Saturday's UFC Fight Night 279 main event.
Kape (23-7 MMA, 8-3 UFC) avenged one of his key career losses when he stopped Kyoji Horiguchi (36-6 MMA, 9-2 UFC) by third-round TKO at the Meta APEX in Las Vegas, and in the process becoming the all-time knockout leader in 125-pound history.
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Although Horiguchi started the fight strong and was seemingly in control, he ultimately could not repeat his December 2017 result against "Starboy," who will seemingly not be denied in his bid toward gold.
Kape has the smooth talk on the microphone, the longest KO streak in the history of the weight class and a blooming rivalry with champion Joshua Van all going in his favor. What could be against him, however, is the timing.
Although no one would deny that Van vs. Kape is a highly intruiging championship fight, anyone other than Alexandre Pantoja getting a title shot seems like a momentous injustice. There is an unresolved issue between Van and Pantoja after the way their title change happened in December with an injury, and the rematch is a must.
With that said, we know Van has the desire to be active champion. If the UFC books Van vs. Pantoja 2 in the next few months, then few would revolt against Kape simply waiting for the winner. That would be the best-case scenario for everyone involved, and ideally how it plays out.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC Vegas 119 matchmaker: Who's next for Manel Kape after win?