Manel Kape finds himself in the main event at UFC Vegas 103, one of what he hopes will be many headlining spots moving forward.
Kape (20-7) is paired up with Asu Almabayev on the Fight Night card this Saturday, with the Kazakh fighter stepping in to face “Stayboy” on short-notice after Brandon Royval dropped out of the fight.
“Of course, of course. I’m a very passionate person, and I really believed that these moments will come one day,” Kape, a former RIZIN champ, told media outlets on Wednesday at the UFC Vegas 103 media day, asked about his first opportunity to headline a card for the promotion. “The feeling that I have right now is a familiar feeling. I kind of feel that I’ve been made for these moments. I just really really enjoying [it], I knew this day will come, and I’m going to put on a good performance Saturday night. And it’s going to be the first of many, many main events.”
When it comes to landing those big main events he so clearly desires to be part of, Kape added that “in my mind, I put in a lot of work. I push myself very hard, and I just believe that wins will take care of everything. When you win that way I win, it opens the doors, big doors, and big opportunities like that. So that’s what I ask for myself, that’s the pressure I put on myself. And these things happen the way I want, and the time I want.”
The UFC Vegas 103 headliner had been looked at as a potential title eliminator for the flyweight division, at least until Brandon Royval dropped out. Kape still sees it as such, and explained that the biggest change for him was adjusting to an opponent who was smaller in stature. Thought that comes with its own benefits.
Royval being a taller guy, “I was expecting to work a lot on the body, the body work, the [body] shots, because I don’t have the reach to his head,” noted Kape. Instead, he has a smaller foe now in Almabayev. “His head’s going to be there, he’s a target. His chin’s going to be there, his nose is going to be there. I predict it’s going to be very bad blood, his face is going to be a bunch of blood on Saturday night. Because he’s short, he’s a good target for myself.”
Watch the full UFC Vegas 103 media day appearance by Manel Kape above.
