Former RIZIN champ Manel Kape’s back was to the wall heading into his UFC 265 fight with Ode Osbourne.
Needless to say, Kape’s UFC run had been disappointing through his first two fights. “StarBoy” had entered the promotion with such hype that he actually weighed in as a back-up for the first Deiveson Figueiredo-Brandon Moreno fight without ever having set foot inside the octagon.
His services that night were not required; two months later, Kape found himself losing a decision to Alexandre Pantoja. His next outing against Matheus Nicolau was another decision loss, albeit a close split decision.
Friday morning, Kape complicated things by missing weight for his flyweight scrap against Osbourne by three pounds, almost certainly putting himself in must-win territory if he wasn’t there already.
On Saturday, however, Kape finally got his first UFC win.
Osbourne and Kape almost immediately exchanged leg kicks to open up the fight. Kape landed a 1-2 that got Osbourne’s attention. Kape missed on a hook, and Osbourne landed a combo; a leaping jab by Kape followed. Kape threw a kick which Osbourne caught and countered with a punch. A right hand slightly landed for Kape. Kape made Osbourne faint twice; Osbourne countered Kape and landed a hard left hand. Another fake kick was followed by a left hand by Osbourne that landed.
Kape rushed in with just over 30 seconds remaining in the round, but nothing came of that. That wasn’t the case moments later. Kape landed a flying knee which dropped Osbourne, and “StarBoy” pounced on him. The fight was over. Kape has his win, though Osbourne protested what he felt was an early stoppage.
JUST LIKE THAT ⚡️ @ManelKape adding one to the highlight reel!!! #UFC265 pic.twitter.com/S1XB8cq2cH
— UFC (@ufc) August 7, 2021
A fantastic performance by Manel Kape, who finally showed everyone what all the hype was about.
Official Result: Manel Kape def. Ode Osbourne by knockout, Round 1, 4:44
