Manel Kape has seldom failed to bask in his stardom as he went on to fight and win against some formidable opponents in the world of mixed martial arts. Rightfully nicknamed ‘Starboy’, the fighter from Angola has desired to climb up the ladder and become the best in his division. But is that what his moniker actually means?

Kape’s fighting career has extracted awestruck reactions from the fighting community. But today, let’s shine some light on the fighter’s origins. Starting with the story about his nickname.

Manel Kape explains the story behind his nickname ‘Starboy’

Many have wondered about the meaning behind Kape’s moniker. ‘Starboy’ literally means a young male celebrity, but it has another meaning as per pop culture. According to The Weeknd, a starboy can point at a rockstar, as well. However, Kape’s story was lined up with victories over older fighters. Talking to the UFC, he said, “As an amateur I always fought with fighters older than me and I won.” This was indeed a sign of an MMA star. 

Kape began his journey in the realm of professional mixed martial arts at the age of 17, as he debuted at Cage Fighters 2. Without a doubt, the Portuguese-Angolan fighter displayed great finesse by defeating Artur Gomes via first-round TKO. He later moved to the Knock Out Championship and suffered his first-ever defeat as a professional. But that didn’t stop him from striving to be better. 

Kape went on and fought under the banner of Rizin Fighting Federation after a 2-year-long hiatus. He stayed in the organization and impressed the fight fans with 6 phenomenal wins. After fighting about 9 fights at Rizin, the flyweight finally stepped into the UFC Octagon. He was pretty unfazed by the first couple of defeats he faced in the MMA promotion, as he went on to boast a 4-fight winning streak soon after. Just like it is for many MMA fighters, competing in the UFC was a dream for the Angolan. A dream that he has successfully achieved. 

We know that you have wondered about the story of Kape’s entry into the fighting community. Well, let’s see what he had to say about that.

How did Manel Kape start fighting?

Earlier in an interview on ‘The Coach & The Casual’ podcast, ‘Starboy’ revealed some stunning facts about his lineage. Well, if you didn’t already know, he comes from a family of strong fighters. Kape, on the podcast, said, “So my father was a former world champion boxer. So all my family started with, all my brothers fighting. They are very successful in boxing. So I grew up, I started boxing at four years old. I start boxing and being a soccer player. So fighting is in my blood, my family blood. You know, jiu-jitsu, I start with 12 years old, MMA 12 to 13.”

Kape has five brothers, and all of them are fighters. But the mixed martial artist seemed to have good faith in his skillset when he was asked if any of his brothers could defeat him. Needless to say, he claimed that they can’t. The Angolan seems to carry this same confidence as he gets ready to fight his rival, Muhammad Mokaev at UFC 304. 

Did you know the real meaning behind Kape’s moniker? If you had the chance, what other nickname would you have chosen for the #8 flyweight? Let us know what you think in the comments down below.