Manel Kape has solidified his case as the next contender in the UFC flyweight division. He knocked out Kyoji Horiguchi in the third round of the UFC Vegas 119 main event.
Kape came in with a three-fight winning streak, winning all those fights by finish. Horiguchi had won his last five fights and two since coming back to the UFC. Both guys fought each other in 2017. Horiguchi won that fight; Kape got his revenge tonight.
Finally Secured A Titleshot?
Horiguchi started with a hard kick to the body of Kape, but he was able to catch the kick. Horiguchi was off balance but quickly had his stance back. Kape tried to get closer to Horiguchi and put on some combinations. Horiguchi circled away but got hit with a couple of good shots. The Japanese fighter tried to damage Kape’s legs with a couple of hard kicks. Kape kept looking for openings but was hesitant. Horiguchi ended round 1 with a takedown.
Horiguchi landed a clean left early in the second round. Kape stumbled for a second but recovered quickly. Horiguchi took the opportunity to take Kape to the ground for the second time in the fight. The Japanese fighter didn’t do a lot on the ground but did enough to keep the referee from standing them up. Kape tried to land elbows from the bottom but wasn’t able to change his position. Horiguchi ended the round strong with a couple of good punches.
Kape went after Horiguchi in the third round, trying to lure him into a slugfest. Horiguchi was willing to engage but also kept threatening with takedown attempts. Kape kicked Horiguchi but got blocked. It clearly hurt him. But Kape pulled through and landed a right hand that staggered Horiguchi. The Japanese fighter was on spaghetti legs and went down. Kape ended the fight with ground-and-pound. An amazing, probably title-shot win for Kape.
11 Wins, 11 Finishes
Murtazali Magomedov made his UFC debut with a 10-0 record, with all his wins coming by finish. He took on Melsik Baghdasaryan. The Armenian was active early on, but Magomedov took the back of Baghdasaryan the moment he had the opportunity.
He locked in the body triangle. Baghdasaryan looked to escape but remained within the body triangle. Magomedov stretched his back out and made the Armenian fighter tap. A quick and very odd sequence, but a very effective twister. An amazing debut for the fighter out of Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.
Spectacular Debut
During the prelims, Levan Chokheli and Leon Shahbazyan made their UFC debuts against each other. Both guys got recently signed to the UFC and took on each other in the Octagon. Chokheli opened with a leg kick that bothered Shahbazyan heavily. After another hard leg kick, Chokheli unleashed a flurry of punches on Shahbazyan.
Shahbazyan defended but got hit with a clean punch to the liver. Shahbazyan was wincing in pain while going down. One of the best debuts so far of 2026. Chokheli announced his presence with a TKO win within 23 seconds. For Shahbazyan, definitely not a debut he wants to remember.
Full Results UFC Vegas 119
Main Card
- Manel Kape def. Kyoji Horiguchi via KO (punches) – R3, 2:42.
- Navajo Stirling def. Ion Cutelaba via TKO (punches) – R2, 3:23.
- Christian Rodriguez def. Hyder Amil via submission (guillotine choke) – R1, 3:43.
- Murtazali Magomedov def. Melsik Baghdasaryan via submission (twister) – R1, 1:17.
- Vinicius Oliveira def. Andre Fili via TKO (punches) – R2, 4:56.
Preliminary Card
- Kevin Borjas def. Andre Lima via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28).
- Bia Mesquita def. Melissa Mullins via submission (armbar) – R1, 3:16.
- Mitch Raposo def. Allan Nascimento via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28).
- Gastón Bolaños def. Michael Aswell Jr. via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).
- Levan Chokheli def. Leon Shahbazyan via TKO (punches) – R1, 0:23.
- Luana Santos def. Karol Rosa via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).
- Shane Collins def. Otari Tanzilovi via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).
Full bonuses were also announced after the fights. (later)
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