Fight Coverage
UFC 304 Matchup To Watch | Muhammad Mokaev vs Manel Kape
Watch Undefeated Flyweight Muhammad Mokaev Take On Manel Kape Live On UFC FIGHT PASS This Saturday at UFC 304: Edwards vs Muhammad 2 In Manchester
Fans will want to be in their seats early at Co-op Live in Manchester on Saturday as Top 10 flyweights collide on the UFC 304: Edwards vs Muhammad 2 Early Prelims.
Coming into Saturday’s contest with a perfect 12-0 record, No. 6 ranked Muhammad Mokaev has made waves in the talent rich 125-pound division since his arrival to the UFC in 2022.
In less than three years, Mokaev has collected six victories inside the Octagon, four by way of submission. “The Punisher” is coming off one of his toughest challenges yet in No. 7 ranked Alex Perez. Mokaev was relentless through 15 minutes, attempting 20 takedowns while out striking his opponent en route to a unanimous decision victory.
MORE UFC 304: Main Event Spotlight | Coach Conversation | Fight By Fight Preview
While the soon to be 24-year-old’s dreams of becoming the youngest UFC champion never materialized, he finds himself on the cusp of earning a shot at UFC gold. To get one step closer, he’ll need to get past a surging Manel Kape, who’s won four straight, including two by first-round knockout.
Highlight: Manel Kape Stuns Zhalgas Zhumagulov In Round 1 | UFC Fight Night: Font vs Aldo
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Highlight: Manel Kape Stuns Zhalgas Zhumagulov In Round 1 | UFC Fight Night: Font vs Aldo
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Kape signed with the UFC in 2021 off a title winning performance at 135 pounds in Rizin. Upon entering the UFC, Kape decided to take his talents to flyweight, the same weight class he began his career in 12 years ago. Kape’s credentials earned him an immediate matchup against then-No. 5 ranked Alexandre Pantoja, the current UFC flyweight champion. Despite putting up a strong effort against the 125-pound king, Kape suffered his first loss in over two years. He returned to the Octagon just one month later hoping to rebound quickly against Matheus Nicolau but picked up his second straight defeat.
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While his UFC career didn’t start off as planned, Kape’s trajectory turned a full 180 degrees when he left the UFC APEX and competed in front of UFC fans for the first time at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas, against Ode’ Osbourne. With less than 30 seconds to go in the first round, Kape landed a picture-perfect flying knee to collect his eighth first-round finish as a pro. Kape’s been on a tear since, finishing Zhalgas Zhumagulov in the first round, earning a unanimous decision victory over David Dvorak and collecting his first $50,000 bonus in a Fight of the Night with Felipe dos Santos.
Stylistically, Mokaev and Kape are polar opposites, which makes Saturday night’s contest such an interesting one to preview. Mokaev is a dominant grappler that wants to get his opponent to the ground by any means necessary. Once the takedown is secured, his opponents don’t have much luck getting back to their feet.
In six UFC fights, Mokaev’s secured an unprecedented 26 takedowns, including 12 in his most dominant performance to date against Charles Johnson. On average, Mokaev secures 5.75 takedowns per 15 minutes, with a 41 percent success rate on takedown attempts. Kape falls on the other end of the scale, securing just 0.65 takedowns per 15 minutes with a 37 percent success rate.
RELATED: Mokaev Comes Full Circle
Once you’re on the ground, Mokaev does an excellent job keeping the fight there. Mokaev has finished four separate fights with over eight minutes of control time: 11:24, 10:18, 8:24 and 8:15, respectively. That time has allowed Mokaev to land four different submission victories inside the Octagon, including an armbar, neck crank, arm-triangle choke and guillotine. His four submission wins is tied for second all-time in the flyweight division.
Kape does have a remarkable 77 percent takedown defense, stuffing all five of dos Santos’ attempts in his most recent outing, so it will be interesting to see how long Kape can keep the fight standing when Mokaev inevitably tries to take the fight to the mat.
Conversely, Kape has the edge in nearly every striking statistic. Kape lands a staggering 5.12 significant strikes per minute compared to Mokaev’s 1.53 per minute. More often than not, Kape is throwing with vicious intent, resulting in an average of 1.09 knockdowns per 15 minutes, the fourth highest all-time at 125 pounds.
With Kape throwing and landing at such a high rate, he has left himself vulnerable for counters from his opponents. This shouldn’t be too huge a factor if Mokaev comes in with his usual grapple-heavy style, however.
In a division that just saw a No. 10 ranked contender in Steve Erceg fight for the belt, a dominant performance for either athlete on Saturday could earn them the next title shot, making this flyweight clash one you won’t want to miss at UFC 304. The early prelims begin Saturday at 6:15pm ET/3:15pm PT live on UFC FIGHT PASS and ESPN+.
UFC 304: Edwards vs Muhammad 2 took place live from Co-op Live in Manchester, England on July 27, 2024. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!
