(Photo: Rich Story-USA TODAY Sports)
Manel Cape didn't care about class.
The UFC flyweight contestant made headlines this week by suggesting he can do more than he can against one of the best fighters in the world. And no, Kape (19-6) isn't talking about his upcoming 125-pound title fight between Alexandre Pantoja and Steve His Arceg. Instead, he will reconsider his rivalry with former middleweight champion Israel Adesanya.
The two stars met last year at the UFC 293 press conference in Sydney, Australia. Tensions escalated after Kape called Adesanya's teammate Kai Kara-France and talked trash about him not being able to participate in the match. On stage, Kape threw a water bottle at Adesanya before he faced off against the flyweight.
“Look at this little midget trying to fuck me!” Adesanya said during a heated argument with Kape. “I’m going to bury you so bad.”
Although the altercation eventually died down, Kape's hatred for Adesanya persisted. To this day, fighters in the flyweight ranks remain confident they can face Adesanya despite the significant size difference. Cape made this clear on “The Jackson Podcast.”
When asked if he could beat Adesanya in a street fight, Kape said, “I'm undefeated on the street. I'm not going to lose to Adesanya.” [h/t: Champ RDS]. “I'm down below. [six feet].I've already defeated a number of his guys. [size] I don't do af***.
“I don't do AF***. I'm probably stabbing him,” Cape joked.
The 6-foot-4 Adesanya is much taller than the 5-foot-5 Cape and weighs at least 70 pounds in “Starboy.” Weight classes exist in MMA for a reason, but size doesn't really matter to Kape when it comes to fighting outside of the Octagon.
When asked about his bold claims, Cape added, “I think so, brother? Aren't you crazy?” “My idea is, let’s have him stand in front of me in the street and let’s see. That’s what the city is all about… MMA. [Adesanya is] pretty good. I’m doing pretty well too, brother.”
RIZIN mainstay Manel Kape entered the UFC in 2021 and won four straight after dropping his first two fights to Alexandre Pantoja and Mateusz Nicolau. However, Kape has been having some bad luck lately as a number of match cancellations have plagued his career.
Meanwhile, Israel Adesanya is considered one of the greatest middleweights to ever reach the promotion. Adesanya lost his last fight to Sean Strickland at UFC 293, but defeated numerous contenders on his way to the championship and had his first long title reign.
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