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Manel Kape's reputation has taken something of a hit in recent months. The latest incident revolving around the Angolan-Portuguese flyweight is a withdrawal from his UFC Vegas 91 fight with Mattheus Nicolau. This drew the attention of his divisional rival, Kai Kara-France.
An Instagram informing the public of Kape's withdrawal and subsequent replacement by Alex Perez led to the 125-pound New Zealander popping into the comment section to express his amusement over the situation. Kara-France said little but was clearly dismissive.
"Lol"
The enmity between the pair stems from Kape and Kara-France being previously scheduled to fight at UFC 293. Unfortunately, the New Zealander was forced to withdraw from the bout due to a concussion suffered in training. This sparked Kape's ire, who attacked him at the pre-fight press conference.
But now, in an ironic twist, Kape is the one who has withdrawn from his bout due to injury. According to the Angolan-Portuguese star's latest tweet, he suffered a broken rib cartilage that forced him to undergo surgery. While injury woes are part of the sport, this isn't the first time Kape has disappointed fans.
He was scheduled to face Nicolau at UFC Fight Night 234 in January, but the pair's bout was scrapped after he missed weight by three and a half pounds. In addition to the misfortune, that wasn't the first instance of Kape missing weight.
Prior to that, he had missed weight by three pounds against Ode' Osbourne. Fortunately for him, that matchup took place at a catchweight of 129 pounds.
Manel Kape is on the cusp of a top-five rank
Mattheus Nicolau is what stands between Manel Kape and a spot in the top five at flyweight. The Brazilian currently occupies the No.5 rank to Kape's No.6. The two have been paired up twice now, but in both cases, the Angolan-Portuguese star failed to make it to the octagon for one reason or another.
Check out Manel Kape's win over Felipe dos Santos:
Nevertheless, he is still on a four-fight win streak, having previously beaten Felipe dos Santos in an action-packed thriller at UFC 293. The bout won him countless fans, which he will hope to excite upon his octagon return.
