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Manel Kape's UFC flyweight debut against Alexandre Pantoja won't happen as expected at UFC Vegas 17 on December 19. Pantoja pulled out of the fight for reasons that have not yet been disclosed. The UFC is looking to rebook the bout for February 2021.
"Alexandre Pantoja is out of the Dec. 19 UFC card, sources told me. He was scheduled to welcome former RIZIN champ Manel Kape to the octagon," reported MMA Fighting's Brazilian correspondant Guilherme Cruz.
It is unclear if Kape will still make his debut at the event held in Las Vegas with a fresh new opponent or if the UFC will choose to erase his bout from this edition completely. Although Kape is a former RIZIN bantamweight champion, he will compete in the UFC flyweight division.
Kape's debut is under hazard for the second time. Initially, the Portuguese-Angolan fighter was booked to grace the octagon for the first time last August at UFC 252, against Rogerio Bontorin. But Bontorin suffered an ankle injury ahead of the fight.
Pantoja (22-5) is currently fifth in the UFC flyweight ranks. His last bout was a decision loss to the unbeaten Askar Askarov earlier this year. Although 'The Cannibal' has had two losses in his previous three fights, they were both by decision and to top division fighters, Deiveson Figueiredo being the other.
Pantoja is UFC Vegas 17's second withdrawal after Leon Edwards tested positive for COVID-19 and had his main event bout with Khamzat Chimaev canceled.
UFC flyweight division overview
Deiveson Figueiredo (20-1) is the reigning champion of the flyweight division. The Brazilian UFC flyweight snatched the belt away from Joseph Benavidez at UFC Fight Night 169. He has already defended his title twice since. All his championship bouts happened in 2020.
Coming right after Figueiredo, number one in the ranking is Brandon Moreno. He has not tasted defeat since 2018 when he met Alexandre Pantoja at UFC Fight Night 129. Moreno (18-5-1) will have his shot for the title on December 12, when he will face Figueiredo at UFC 256 in Las Vegas.
At UFC Vegas 16 this weekend, the night's flyweight fight will be Jimmy Flick vs. Cody Durden. While this is Flick's second UFC bout, it will be Durden's debut. The night's main event that was originally between Kevin Holland and Jack Hermansson had to be changed after Holland contracted COVID-19. Hermansson will now face 'the Italian Dream,' UFC middleweight Marvin Vettori.
