Following his knockout win over Kyoji Horiguchi at UFC Vegas 119, flyweight standout Manel Kape said he wants to set the UFC record for TKOs.
Kape knocked Horiguchi out in the third round of their UFC Vegas 119 main event for his fourth straight knockout win in the UFC and his sixth overall in the promotion since he joined the UFC in 2021. With six knockout wins in the UFC flyweight division, Kape now holds the record for the most TKO victories at 125 lbs.
But Kape is not stopping there, as “Starboy” says he wants to break heavyweight Derrick Lewis’ UFC record for knockouts with 16.
Manel Kape Wants UFC Knockout Record
Speaking to reporters following UFC Vegas 119, Kape admitted that breaking the UFC flyweight record isn’t good enough, as he wants to hold the UFC record for knockouts in all weight classes.
“I want to pass Derrick Lewis. I want to pass the record of Derrick Lewis, and I know I can do this,” Kape said.
In Kape’s UFC career, he has knocked out Horiguchi, Brandon Royval, Asu Almabayev, Bruno Silva, Zhalgas Zhumagulov, and Ode Osbourne. He has some of the fastest and crispest hands in the UFC for any fighter, and he has proven he has legitimate knockout power in the UFC’s lighest weight class, making him one of the most powerful pound-for-pound punchers in all of MMA.
What’s Next for Manel Kape?
After winning his fourth straight fight at UFC Vegas 119, Kape should be next in line to fight UFC flyweight champion Joshua Van. This would be an incredible fight between the two best strikers in the weight class, so it absolutely needs to get booked next. Apologies to former champ Alexandre Pantoja, who wants a rematch with Van, but Kape deserves it more than him.
Should Kape get the title shot against Van, he is confident that he can knock him out, too.
“Of course, of course. Definitely,” Kape said when asked if he believes he will knock Van out when they fight.
It’s worth noting that Van was in attendance at UFC Vegas 119, so he saw Kape knock out Horiguchi with his own eyes. Hopefully, this fight gets booked soon, though Kape admitted to reporters after the win over Horiguchi that he wants to take some time off to spend with his family.
But when he does return later this year, the fight with Van needs to happen next.
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