Manel Kape earned another impressive knockout at UFC Vegas 44, taking out Zhalgas Zhumagulov in the first round with a swift combination.
Former RIZIN bantamweight champ turned flyweight Manel Kape had finally secured his first win inside the UFC octagon in his last outing. The only downside to his highlight reel flying knee finish of Ode Osbourne was that he’d missed weight for the fight. At UFC Vegas 44 on Saturday, Kape was looking for a second straight win — and had made weight for his bout with Zhalgas Zhumagulov.
Kape came out flying with a knee and Zhumagulov immediately began letting shots fly. Both men were landing and Zhumagulov wobbled Kape with a right hand. Kape recovered and was caught with another right then sent Zhumagulov off balance with a right hand after catching a kick. The pace continued to stay very high as the round went on with Zhumagulov staying in Kape’s face. Kape snuck a right hand in and caught Zhumagulov with a good leg kick. A knockdown followed as Kape nailed Zhumagulov with a two punch combination. Zhumagulov quickly got back to his feet but Kape was on him against the cage. He began unloading rapid-fire punches like it was a video game. Eventually, one hit the button and Zhumagulov dropped to the ground, causing the referee to stop the fight. After a disappointing 0-2 start to his UFC tenure, Manel Kape has two straight impressive stoppages.
Speed and volume! 😳
🇵🇹 @ManelKape only needs one round tonight! #UFCVegas44 pic.twitter.com/JRoS3XN22S
— UFC (@ufc) December 5, 2021
Official Result: Manel Kape def. Zhalgas Zhumagulov by TKO (Punches) in Round 1, 4:02
