Kape vs – Manel Kape and Kyoji Horiguchi had already met nearly a decade ago in RIZIN. In their UFC rematch headlining Saturday’s Fight Night at Meta Apex, Kape finished the story with a third-round technical knockout, extending a relentless UFC run that now puts him fi
Manel Kape waited for the moment, and when it came, the flyweight contest turned into a closing argument.
Kape landed a counter-right in the third round that left Kyoji Horiguchi wobbly on his legs. From there, Kape picked his shots and delivered the kind of finish that makes timing look like lightning—Horiguchi’s face smacked off the canvas before the referee waved the fight off.
It was a dramatic UFC rematch for a rivalry that goes back to New Year’s Eve 2017, when the pair fought in Saitama, Japan, as part of RIZIN’s bantamweight grand prix. Back then, Horiguchi finished the first chapter with a submission win.
Saturday at the Meta Apex in Las Vegas, the roles flipped. Kape earned a third-round technical knockout, his fourth straight win by KO/TKO and the third UFC Fight Night main event win in a row.
The victory carried extra weight because it didn’t come as a lucky break. In the opening stretch, Horiguchi started well, out-landing Kape over the first 10 minutes and taking the action to the ground in both the first and second rounds. But Kape’s answer in the third was crisp and decisive.
Kape, a 32-year-old fighting out of Portugal by way of Angola, entered the weekend ranked No. 2 contender in the division. An emphatic win like this, on its own, shifts the conversation around who deserves to be next in line.
The UFC track record behind it is just as striking. Kape has an 8-1 run in the UFC. capped by consecutive KO/TKO wins over Bruno Silva. Asu Almabayev and one-time flyweight title challenger Brandon Royval. His only loss during those five years came two summers ago. when he was outwrestled for three rounds by Muhammad Mokaev.
That Mokaev matchup carried its own unsettling memory: it infamously had little action mere days after Kape and Mokaev brawled in a hotel lobby. Kape’s response since then has been about rounding out his game—overcoming Horiguchi’s takedowns and top control to extend his win streak.
For Horiguchi, Saturday marked another twist in a career that has already included the sport’s biggest stages. Horiguchi is in his second tenure in the UFC. He returned last year with a win over Tagir Ulanbekov in November, then began his 2026 campaign by beating Amir Albazi in February.
Before this rematch, Horiguchi had previously fought for the UFC title in 2015. That fight ended with him being submitted at the last second by former longtime champion Demetrious Johnson.
He also brings a long list of big-name wins into any conversation about the division. In addition to his previous win over Kape, Horiguchi has defeated RIZIN champ-turned-UFC-star Kai Asakura, plus fellow former Bellator champions Sergio Pettis and Darrion Caldwell.
Saturday’s Fight Night ran with a different kind of atmosphere than UFC shows built for spectacle. The 12-fight card took place just six days after the organization held its heavily promoted UFC Freedom 250 card at the White House. At the Meta Apex, there were no special lighting rigs, flyovers, unique walkouts, or secret service. Still, one presence stood out: UFC men’s flyweight champion Joshua Van sat cageside.
Van was supporting a teammate on the preliminary card and, at the same time, sizing up potential competition. The champion is coming off a thrilling title defence over Tatsuro Taira at UFC 328 in May.
He won the title from Alexandre Pantoja in December. when Pantoja suffered a fluke arm injury less than a minute into the fight. The UFC could consider a rematch between Van and Pantoja, with Van holding a 2021 non-title decision win over Kape. But if Pantoja’s return is delayed, Kape’s performance may have just placed him closer to UFC gold.
The night didn’t stop with the main event. In the co-main event, Navajo Stirling passed the toughest test of his UFC career so far with a technical knockout win over Ion Cutelaba.
The 28-year-old from New Zealand had to defend several aggressive choke attempts from Cutelaba in the first round, then rained down unanswered punches midway through the second round after Cutelaba was affected by a damaging knee to the midsection.
Stirling improved to 10-0 in the sport, with half of those wins coming at UFC level. He is already 2-0 in 2026 after his TKO of Bruno Silva in late March.
Murtazali Magomedov won his UFC debut with a marvellous submission of Melsik Baghdasaryan. The 26-year-old from Kyrgyzstan locked in a modified twister in the first round to improve to 11-0 with five knockouts and six submissions.
His finish also came with a historical stamp—Magomedov became just the fourth fighter in UFC history to win a fight via twister, joining Chan Sun Jung (“The Korean Zombie”), Bryce Mitchell and Da’Mon Blackshear.
Christian Rodriguez snapped a two-fight skid and claimed his first win since the death of his coach. Duke Roufus. who died eight months ago at age 55. Rodriguez dropped Hyder Amil with a flush head kick early in their featherweight contest. Amil stayed conscious, but Rodriguez quickly locked in a ninja choke and Amil went to sleep instead of tapping.
Andre Fili nearly spoiled Vinicius Oliveira’s featherweight debut after a nasty body shot in the opening round. Oliveira bit down on his mouthguard. withstood the pain and made it into the second round. where he began wearing down Fili. Oliveira eventually overwhelmed Fili along the fence late in Round 2.
It was the Brazilian’s first fight up at 145 pounds. He had gone 4-1 at 135 pounds to begin his UFC career and was coming off a February submission loss to Mario Bautista in his first main event. Fili, meanwhile, was coming off a split decision loss to Jose Delgado in March.
On the preliminary card, Beatriz Mesquita and Kevin Borjas were among the standout performers.
By the time the third-round finish came, the message was simple: Kape has turned a rematch with history into a UFC statement—and the title picture is suddenly closer than it was before Saturday night.
Manel Kape Kyoji Horiguchi UFC Fight Night Meta Apex flyweight technical knockout Joshua Van Tatsuro Taira Alexandre Pantoja Navajo Stirling Ion Cutelaba Murtazali Magomedov
So Kape just cracked him in the third round and that’s it? Wild.
Meta Apex?? That sounds like some sci-fi arena name lol. Anyway good for Kape, he finally got the better of that other guy.
Wait I thought Horiguchi won their first fight in 2017 with like a punch not a submission? But then it says submission win then later roles flipped so I’m confused. Either way Kape KO streak is crazy, like he’s basically unstoppable.
Ref waved it off after the face smacked the canvas… yeah that’s the kind of ending I hate and love at the same time. Also I don’t really get the RIZIN vs UFC history part, like why are they always rematching the same dudes? Feel like UFC should mix it up more.