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Manel Kape and Asu Almabayev look to break into the UFC's official flyweight top five. The flyweights headline UFC Fight Night at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday.
Kape (20-7) had prepared to punch his ticket to a UFC flyweight title shot by beating former title challenger Brandon Royval (No. 1) this weekend. An injury forced Royval off the card. Suddenly, Kape (No. 6) fights backwards in the division instead of securing a title shot. Despite the opponent change, Kape is convinced a shot at UFC flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja remains on the table.
"This is the last fight. I'm sure about that because we've been talking," Kape told CBS Sports' Brian Campbell. "The fight was supposed to be against Brandon Royval, the number one contender. It won't make any difference. I just need another good performance and I'm right there."
Almabayev (21-2) is the beneficiary of Royval's injury. The Kazakh fighter (No. 8) got the short notice call after going 4-0 in the UFC. Almabayev is fighting his most highly-ranked opponent, but the journey wasn't simple for him, either. Almabayev's original opponent Steve Erceg was moved to headline a different card. Almabayev was subsequently booked against Allan Nascimento before swapping to Kape.
"I don't care who I'll fight, I stay ready and fight anybody," Almabayev told CBS Sports through an interpreter. "Manel is a good striker but he's never fought a guy like me. He's fought good guys, but he's never wrestled with me."
Check out the full interview with Manel Kape below.
Saturday's UFC Fight Night card is painfully weak. The co-main event pits Cody Brundage vs. Julian Marquez, two fighters who have mustered one win in their last six fights combined. The fight's only redeeming quality is that a finish is highly probable. A more intriguing main card fight is Esteban Ribovics vs. Nasrat Haqparast. Ribovics notably knocked out Terrance McKinney with a 37-second head kick. Haqparast's four fight winning streak is the best of his eight years with the UFC.
Below is the rest of the fight card for Saturday with the latest odds before we get to a prediction and pick on the main event.
UFC Fight Night card, odds
| Favorite | Underdog | Weight class |
|---|---|---|
| Manel Kape -220 | Asu Almabayev +180 | Flyweight |
| Julian Marquez -120 | Cody Brundage +100 | Middleweight |
| Esteban Ribovics -265 | Nasrat Haqparast +215 | Lightweight |
| William Gomis -195 | Hyder Amil +165 | Featherweight |
| Danny Barlow -320 | Sam Patterson +250 | Welterweight |
UFC Fight Night viewing information
Date: March 1 | Start time: 7 p.m. ET (main card)
Location: UFC Apex -- Las Vegas
TV channel: ESPN+
Prediction
Manel Kape vs. Asu Almabyev: This is your classic striker vs. grappler matchup. Kape has insane striking output, averaging 5.05 strikes landed and 4.15 strikes absorbed per minute. Kape's striking numbers more than double his opponents. By contrast, Almabayev averages 5.08 takedowns per 15 minutes, more than 10 times Kape's offensive takedown numbers. Kape dropped the ball against Muhammad Mokaev the last time he fought a relentless wrestler, but wields elite experience and stopping power. This fight is too much too soon for Almabayev. I'll hesitantly side with Kape via knockout or a close decision. Kape via Unanimous Decision
