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Flyweights

NR | Manel Kape (16-6, 1-2 UFC) vs. NR | Zhalgas Zhumagulov (14-5, 1-2 UFC)

ODDS: Kape (-250), Zhumagulov (+210)

This should be a strange encounter between two flyweights trying to find their footing in the UFC. Kape arrived in the UFC with a rightful amount of hype, coming off of a run of three straight knockouts that saw him become the Rizin Fighting Federation bantamweight champion. The UFC immediately threw “Starboy” into the deep end, pitting him against Alexandre Pantoja in his promotional debut for what turned out to be a frustrating performance in February. Kape’s confidence that he could eventually find a finish led him to a low-volume approach that saw him coast to a loss on the scorecards. A quick turnaround fight against Matheus Nicolau went much the same manner. It was a close fight and Kape had some good ideas, but a willingness to stay overly patient once again cost him the victory on the scorecards. Kape thankfully scored his first UFC victory with a brutal flying knee against Ode Osbourne in his most recent assignment, and he now looks to build on that momentum against Zhalgas Zhumagulov, who is also coming off of his first UFC win. Kazakhstan’s Zhumagulov is a much different fighter than Kape, but he has wound up in much the same place. “Zhako” was quite successful on the Russian scene with his approach, as Zhumagulov would start slow but eventually outlast his opponents with a surprisingly deep bag of tricks. However, in the UFC, Zhumagulov has found many of the same problems as Kape, centered around a lack of output that has allowed his opponents to win rounds despite giving up the skill advantage. Zhumagulov cinched a guillotine choke to tap Jerome Rivera in July, which leads to this bout, which could go any number of ways. Neither man figures to press the action, so this could wind up a bit tedious. No matter which way it goes, Kape should have the advantage as the quicker and harder-hitting fighter, whether it becomes a staring match or if these two somehow find themselves throwing down. The pick is Kape via ugly decision.

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