Kape vs – Manel Kape and Kyoji Horiguchi renew their rivalry in the UFC Fight Night main event, with both flyweights aiming to move one step closer to a potential challenge for UFC gold. Kape arrives on a three-fight winning streak, while Horiguchi has rolled to eight s
The last time Manel Kape and Kyoji Horiguchi met, it ended with a submission—2017, in the semifinals of the Rizin World Grand Prix. Nine years later, they’re back on the same stage, this time under UFC lights, and this matchup isn’t just about settling a score.
Saturday night, Kape and Horiguchi fight for momentum in the flyweight division—momentum that can quickly turn into something bigger than a single win. For the winner, it’s a direct push toward the kind of fight that ends with a gold belt within reach.
Kape walks into the main event riding a three-fight winning streak. He has won seven of his last eight since beginning his UFC run with consecutive decision losses. Of those victories, five have come inside the distance. At 32 years old. the Portugal-based fighter appears to be finding the rhythm that originally made him such a highly regarded addition to the UFC roster at the start of 2021.
Horiguchi’s path back to contention has been just as steep—and just as calculated. Consecutive victories after returning to the UFC fold have rapidly placed him among the names being talked about in the 125-pound class. The Japanese veteran challenged for gold during his first tour in the Octagon. then returned in a way that’s immediately changed the conversation around him.
His recent run includes a third-round submission win over Tagir Ulanbekov, followed by a unanimous decision victory against Amir Albazi in February. That back-to-back surge pushed Horiguchi’s overall unbeaten streak to eight.
It’s also a rematch, which adds its own layer of uncertainty. Horiguchi previously faced and submitted Kape in the semifinals of the Rizin World Grand Prix 2017. Under the UFC banner, Kape has often looked like the more dynamic fighter. Horiguchi. though. brings the overall experience edge—along with the kind of fight-reading that can matter when a familiar opponent shows up again.
There’s another reason Saturday’s winner matters beyond this one matchup. The winner could be positioned for a potential date with the winner of a separate. assumed pairing that centers on Joshua Van and Alexandre Pantoja. It’s expected that Van will rematch Pantoja next. If that happens, the victor of Kape vs Horiguchi could find themselves lined up for that larger flyweight showdown.
Even if that timeline shifts, a win here still reshapes the pecking order. A player who’s already building momentum doesn’t just try to win a fight—they try to lock in a status that forces the division to look at them next.
The rest of the main-card slate adds another layer to the night’s energy, with Ion Cutelaba set to face Navajo Stirling in an additional matchup.
By fight time, Kape and Horiguchi won’t just be thinking about a rematch from 2017. They’ll be thinking about what the next step really looks like in the UFC flyweight race—how quickly a streak becomes a claim, and how one night can move you closer to UFC gold.
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