Manel Kape was not happy with the way his bout against Mohammed Mokaev was decided, both from the judges' and refereeing standpoint.
UFC flyweight contender and former RIZIN FF champion Kape (19-7 MMA, 4-3 UFC) lost a close but lackluster unanimous decision to Mokaev (13-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) on Saturday's preliminary card for UFC 304 in Manchester, England.
There was little action from either team, but there were a few fouls committed by Mokaev's side, including an accidental poke to the eye and a hit to the groin, and Cape blatantly grabbing his shorts to avoid being pushed away. Neither foul resulted in a point deduction.
Cape wasn't happy with umpire Mike Beltran's actions, but still thought he did enough to get his hand raised.
“I definitely won this fight. The shorts tug deserved a point taken away, two fingers in the eye and three kicks in the balls,” Cape wrote to X. “Anyway, it wasn't my best performance. Sorry to those who expected the best from me but Allah only knows. Alhamdulillah to all.”
I definitely won this fight. The shorts tug deserved a point deduction, two fingers in the eye, three kicks in the balls… anyway it wasn't my best performance. Sorry to those who expected the best from me, but only Allah knows.
Alhamdulillah…
— Manel Kape (@ManelKape) July 28, 2024
Kape's loss to Mokaev ended a four-fight winning streak, with his most recent loss at UFC coming in 2021 against Brazil's Matheus Nicolau.
Given both fighters' track records and standing within the division, many thought the winner of this bout could have a shot at a title shot, but despite his unbeaten record, he may soon be receiving his firing notice from the organization.
For more on the card, check out MMA Junkie's UFC 304 event hub.
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