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Manel Kape has taken a jibe at his opponent ahead of their showdown at the upcoming UFC San Antonio event. Kape is scheduled to face Alex Perez in a three-round flyweight bout at the event. Prior to their matchup, which will take place this Saturday, Kape and Perez engaged in a heated face-off with one another at the UFC San Antonio ceremonial weigh-ins.
Angola's Kape took aim at US MMA stalwart Perez by suggesting that the latter could be utilizing fraudulent means to gain an unfair advantage in their fight. During their face-off, he accused Perez of having spies in his (Kape's) camp. Both fighters almost came to blows during their face-off but were quickly separated by security personnel. Amid the chaos onstage, Kape addressed Perez and stated:
“Hey, I know about your snitches. I know about people that watch my training."
Watch Kape accuse Perez of spying on him in the video below:
Apart from the flyweight matchup between Kape and Perez, the UFC San Antonio fight card features several other notable matchups. Listed below are the fights that are expected to transpire at the event:
Main card (ESPN / ESPN+)
- Bantamweight bout: Marlon Vera vs. Cory Sandhagen
- Women's Bantamweight bout: Holly Holm vs. Yana Santos
- Featherweight bout: Nate Landwehr vs. Austin Lingo
- Women's Flyweight bout: Andrea Lee vs. Maycee Barber
- Flyweight bout: Alex Perez vs. Manel Kape
- Middleweight bout: Chidi Njokuani vs. Albert Duraev
Preliminary card (ESPN / ESPN+)
- Featherweight bout: Daniel Pineda vs. Tucker Lutz
- Featherweight bout: Steven Peterson vs. Lucas Alexander
- Welterweight bout: Trevin Giles vs. Preston Parsons
- Flyweight bout: C.J. Vergara vs. Daniel da Silva
- Flyweight bout: Victor Altamirano vs. Vinicius Salvador
Manel Kape faces Alex Perez in a pivotal fight at UFC San Antonio
The Kape-Perez matchup is being touted by many as an incredibly important one for both fighters. Presently, Manel Kape holds the No. 9 spot in the official UFC flyweight rankings, while Alex Perez stands at No. 6 on the list. Perez, a former UFC flyweight title challenger, is currently on a two-fight losing streak.
The consensus is that Alex Perez needs to defeat Manel Kape at UFC San Antonio if he is to retain his status as a top-tier flyweight. Meanwhile, Kape is on a three-fight win streak, and it's believed that a win over Perez could catapult him into the upper echelons of the 125-pound weight class.
Their fight will be featured on the main card portion of UFC San Antonio, which will take place at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas, USA, on March 25.
