Muhammad Mokaev and Manel Kape tried all fight week to get at one another. When finally given the chance Saturday at UFC 304, there was far less willingness to engage.
The flyweight bout was part of the UFC 304 preliminary card at Co-op Live in Manchester, England, and was one of the most anticipated fights on the card, despite it’s demoted placement.
An adversarial build-up stemmed from an altercation the two allegedly engaged in at the UFC Performance Institute. Things got physical and the hotel during fight week, and then both fighters were restrained at ceremonial weigh-ins. Even in the minutes prior to Saturday’s fight, the blood bad was still real as Kape and Mokaev were restrained by an elevated number of security guards who were assigned to the cage for the introductions.
But when it came time for blows to be allowed, the two flyweight contenders were less willing. The first round was largely a staring contest and received a warning from referee Mike Beltran for timidity.
Round 2 was more eventful, but it was less about the action and more about the oddities. Kape suffered a toe injury midway through the frame that caused him to hobble throughout the remainder of the bout. After a takedown by Mokaev, things got heated again – though this time it was between Mokaev and Beltran.
Mokaev got a fistful of Kape’s shorts and nearly removed them all together. The maneuver infuriated Beltran, who called timeout and yelled at Mokaev. Despite the scolding, Beltran did not take a point.
Kape’s toe was examined before the third round, but the physician gave his blessing and the fight continued. Mokaev cruised to a unanimous decision victory, even sweeping all three rounds on one judge’s scorecard.
After the win, Mokaev and Kape embraced. Mokaev called for a title shot. The victory was his seventh in the promotion. Four of those victories came by submission. The other three were by decision.
On the flip side of the equation, Kape has a four-fight winning streak snapped.
Up-to-the-minute UFC 304 results include:
Muhammad Mokaev def. Manel Kape via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
Мафия-НН: В уютном ресторанчике в центре города встретились девять одноклассников, чтобы отпраздновать Новый Год и провести веселый вечер
Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 (2024) GA605 review
The PC game releases we're most excited about in September
Risk of Rain 2 creators weigh in on Gearbox's first DLC without them: 'It's great to see new content for the game, but it's hard to see growing pains of the new team in real time'
1 и 2 сентября филиал РТРС «РТПЦ Республики Мордовия» и Министерство образования Республики Мордовия проведут совместную акцию, приуроченную ко Дню знаний и началу нового учебного года.
Книжная выставка
«Без меня народ не полный…»
к 125-летию со дня рождения А.П.Платонова,
русского и советского писателя, поэта и публициста, драматурга.
Симферопольская телебашня включит праздничную подсветку в честь 1 сентября
Крымэнерго: в Симферополе, Евпатории, Алуште, Ялте, Керчи и Джанкое частично отключат свет 2 сентября