Manel Cape and Bruno Gustavo da Silva at UFC Tampa’s ceremonial weigh-in at Amalie Arena, December 13, 2024 Credit: Jay Anderson/Cageside Press
Flyweight contender and former RIZIN champion Manel Kape was looking to bounce back from his loss to Muhamad Mokaev when he took on Brazil’s Bruno Silva at UFC Tampa on Saturday.
Silva won four straight matches and moved up to 12th place in the rankings. Kape, who saw his four-fight win streak ended against Mokaev, was placed in ninth place. And with champion Alexandre Pantoja looking for a contender, both fighters could put in great performances here and move that much closer to winning the title.
Silva changes positions one after another, but Cape doesn’t care and throws low kicks to both legs. This was one of the few fights in which Silva didn’t have a speed advantage, and Cape let Silva know by continuing to showboat after Silva missed a shot. Silva landed a nice right hand, but was forced to quickly stop the action with a low blow. Cape was making two for every one of Silva’s shots. Another low blow by “Bulldog” was worse than the first and forced another break, but no points were taken. The round ended with Silva returning to his corner with a bloody nose, 10-9.
Cape built up his work from the first round and pulled away early in the second, but was hit by a big shot from Silva, who put on another show. A third low blow from the Brazilian left Kape wincing in pain on the ground, but Keith Peterson grabbed a point. When the match resumed, Cape pretended to be still injured, inviting desperate swings from Silva, who was definitely in need of a finish. Cape landed every combination he threw and began to show off more. It got to the point where he had the audacity to kneel in front of Silva and fire at him. He was showing off his incredible skills to his fans, living up to his nickname “Starboy.”
The third round started with Silva going for a break and landing some powerful shots on Cape that somehow made him eat. Silva’s desperate situation forced Cape to stay serious and stop showing off. Cape noticed Silva breathing heavily between exchanges and attacked the body. The kick appeared to miss Silva’s cup, forcing him to retreat. Cape smelled blood and attacked Silva, who was in danger, ending the show.
Considering the level of competition and Bruno Silva’s strong showing, this may have been Kape’s best performance in the UFC. He has requested a rematch with champion Pantoja, but only time will tell if that happens.
In his post-fight interview, Cape criticized Brandon Moreno, Kai Kara-France, Alexandre Pantoja, and even Israel Adesanya.
Official result: Manel Cape def. Bruno Silva TKO (Round 3, 1:57)
