At UFC Tampa, Manel Kape proved why the fight fans should respect him as his masterclass against Brazilian Bruno Silva extended his record to twenty victories and only seven defeats. After a lackluster performance against Muhammad Mokaev in his previous outing, Kape came out strong to prove to everyone why he should be given a title shot. Kape’s lightning-fast speed and pinpoint accuracy systematically dismantled Silva with surgical precision. The Brazilian ultimately crumbled under a devastating combination at the 1:57 mark of the third round. Out of excitement, Kape called out Israel Adesanya at the post-fight interview, and the former middleweight champion, watching the moment live, bit right back.

Israel Adesanya watched the entire match from his home and live-streamed his reactions. During the broadcast, he commented on Manel Kape’s fight, “Distance is on point, oh my God, crazy. I don’t like the piece of s–t but you can respect the skills but he’s on right now.” Moments later, when ‘StarBoy’ was having a talk with Michael Bisping inside the Octagon, he said the following about ‘The Last Stylebender’, “F–k you, Adesanya.”

As soon as the former middleweight champion heard Kape’s callout, he burst out laughing and asked, “Why’d he say f–k me for? He further added, “Gave the man his credits, he looked nice… Let’s keep it real man, he f—–g showed up. This shows I have been in his head this whole time. I didn’t even think it was like that, but he did well, good job. Little b—h a-s n–a.” 

For the unversed, both fighters from Africa have some history, leading up to this moment. Adesanya and Kape had a heated confrontation during the UFC 293 press conference. Kai Kara France and Manel Kape were supposed to clash with one another at the event but France had to pull out considering the fact that he suffered a concussion during the training camp. At the press conference, Kape lashed out at France, “Unfortunately, Kai Kara-France is a b—h.” 

With Kape hurling abuses at Kai Kara France, Israel Adesanya felt compelled to step in to call out Kape and defend his fellow Kiwi flyweight. The flyweight contender didn’t stop as he called out Adesanya and asserted that he ain’t afraid of anybody. Months have passed since that incident but it appears the Kape is still sour about the incident. Regardless, these two will never face off in the Octagon, being in starkly different weight classes. Instead, ‘Stylebender’ has been booked against the dangerous Nassourdine Imavov and Chael Sonnen has something to say about Adesanya’s upcoming fight.

Chael Sonnen laid his thoughts on Israel Adesanya vs. Nassourdine Imavov

Israel Adesanya, once one of the most active champions in the UFC, will step into the octagon for his first non-title fight since February 2019. The former two-time middleweight champion is set to face Nassourdine Imavov, a fighter with a 15-4 career record. This fight adds nothing to Adesanya’s already stacked resume but for Imavov, this is the biggest fight of his career. While the UFC CEO Dana White is looking forward to the fight, Chael Sonnen believes this fight doesn’t do service to the former middleweight champion.

On his YouTube handle, Sonnen stated, “So that’s where I got to ask you if is Izzy fighting somebody. Because, why didn’t I hear it from Izzy, and what’s different? Did it come from Izzy? Is that where you guys got it? And I am behind – all possible. And I am just curious on a new system – a new system that Izzy would have to go through, and you have to understand his last system got interrupted. He was not handed the microphone at the end of the night.”

Sonnen emphasized that Israel Adesanya’s star power might have taken a hit considering the fact that he has lost two of his last matches. Regardless, what’s your take on the current career trajectory of ‘The Last Stylebender’? State your thoughts in the comments below.