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Matheus Nicolau hit out at Manel Kape after the Portuguese fighter failed to make weight for their co-main event clash at UFC Vegas 84.
Kape exceeded the non-title flyweight limit of 126 pounds by 3.5 pounds. It remains uncertain if the bout will be rescheduled for a future date.
'Starboy' subsequently disclosed on Instagram that he had been unwell two weeks before the match and asserted that his opponent declined to agree to a catchweight contest:
"Guys, I couldn’t make the weight this time, two weeks ago I was extremely sick due to a virus that happened here in Las Vegas. But I decided to move on and not cancel. My opponent didn’t accept to fight or accept my purse."
Check out Manel Kape's full post below:
For his part, Nicolau made weight and expressed his frustration in an Instagram post. The Brazilian accused Kape of negligence and held him responsible for the fight being canceled:
"Unfortunately for the MMA fan, my fans and of course me and my entire team the fight with Manel Kape has been canceled. And the only one responsible for this is Manel Kape himself, who has been irresponsible throughout this whole process." [Translated from Portuguese]
Check out Matheus Nicolau's full post below:
The Nicolau vs. Kape fight was a rematch of their March 2021 encounter at UFC Vegas 21, where the Brazilian won via a split decision. Kape has now failed to make weight on two occasions in flyweight matches, exceeding the divisional limit by three pounds during a bout against Ode Osbourne in August 2021.
Fans react to Matheus Nicolau vs. Manel Kape bout cancellation
Manel Kape's offer to forfeit 25 percent of his fight purse to Matheus Nicolau and his attempt to shift blame on the Brazilian for not agreeing to a catchweight bout failed to resonate with fans, who responded with a variety of reactions.
One wrote:
"I like how a mf misses weight by a bazillion pounds and people are blaming the other guy for the fight being off LOL"
Another wrote:
"Don’t try to put it on your opponent for the fight being off when you are the one who didn’t push yourself to make weight."
Check out some more reactions below:
"Stop the excuses. This isn’t new from you."
"Top tier gaslighting"
