A flyweight rematch which recently fell through is back on, and will headline the UFC‘s April 27, 2024 Fight Night event.
Manel Kape (19-6) and Matheus Nicolau (19-3-1) will headline the show, expected to take place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The bout had been scheduled for the first card of the year, on January 13. Unfortunately, Kape missed weight for the fight at 3.5lbs over, resulting in the bout being scratched from the card.
News of the most recent booking was first reported by MMA Mania.
Kape and Nicolau first met in 2021, with Brazil’s Nicolau earning a split decision victory. It was the second of back-to-back losses for Kape, who has rebounded with four straight wins. Most recently, the former RIZIN bantamweight champ earned a unanimous decision over Felipe dos Santos.
Aside from Nicolau, Kape’s only other loss inside the octagon came against Alexandre Pantoja, who currently reigns over the flyweight division.
Nicolau had a six-fight win streak snapped by Brandon Royval in his last out, back in April of 2023.
Following the mishap in January, Manel Kape blamed his weight miss on a course of antibiotics.
“Guys, I couldn’t make the weight this time, two weeks ago I was extremely sick due to a virus that happened here in Las Vegas, and I had to stay out of training for five days and filling myself with antibiotics,” wrote Kape on social media, who added that the virus “not only affected me but many of my training partners.”
“My coaches and my manager thought it was better for me to cancel the fight due to the state I was in. But I decided to move on and not cancel. My opponent didn’t accept to fight or accept my purse.”
