The rivalries and feuds in the world of combat sports can get pretty intense and the MMA sphere was sent into a frenzy when it was reported that Manel Kape and Muhammad Mokaev had been involved in a physical altercation outside the Octagon! The two are scheduled to face one another at UFC 304 on July 27 with the possibility of a shot at the flyweight champion, Alexandre Pantoja on the line.

However, in a recent interview, Kape’s teammate, Jean Silva, claimed that the two got into it with one another at the entrance of the UFC PI, just a week out from Mokaev’s fight with Alex Perez. But the story has now taken a turn with ‘Starboy’ clarifying the situation in a recent interview as being a ploy to promote his upcoming clash against Mokaev at UFC 304!

Manel Kape reveals the truth behind the story of his fight with Muhammad Mokaev 

In an interview with AG Fight, Jean Silva claimed that, “Manel Kape hit (Muhammad) Mokaev here outside the gym a while ago. He elbowed Mokaev in the head on the street bro. Bro, he caught Mokaev at the entrance here to the (UFC) PI, he headbutted him and elbowed him, in the street. He opened Mokaev’s head a week before his fight. He’s (Kape) a psychopath.”

Silva also alleged that Mokaev’s teammates were inactive during the attack as he claimed that the Russians present did not intervene and merely watched as Mokaev was assaulted. Silva shared that Mokaev attempted to retaliate by threatening to slap Kape but ended up apologizing when confronted. Kape, however, refused the apology and continued the assault, causing Mokaev to fall to the ground.

The reports of the altercation drew a lot of attention from the MMA world but in a recent update, ‘Starboy’ has indicated that the entire affair wasn’t true. In a post made on X by Jake Noecker, he shared, “Just spoke with Manel Kape who tells me that there was NO physical altercation with Muhammad Mokaev outside of the UFC PI. He said that Jean Silva likely told the story to help “promote the fight”

Noecker also revealed that Kape wasn’t mad at Silva for creating the buzz with the story as he felt it was a testament to his teammate being a “good promoter” and claimed that, “…there is nothing but respect leading up to their fight at #UFC304”. Regardless of the truth behind the altercation, the showdown between Kape and Mokaev promises to be a pivotal moment in the flyweight division.  But ‘Starboy’ recently claimed that he isn’t exactly impressed with his opponent’s undefeated record and is confident in his ability to end Mokaev’s streak! 

Kape wants to put Mokaev to the test at UFC 304

Heading into UFC 304, Manel Kape is on a roll with a 4-fight win streak, even though he started his UFC career with two losses. He’s set to face Muhammad Mokaev, who remains undefeated in both his amateur and professional MMA career. During a recent interview with InsideFighting, ‘Starboy’ revealed that he thinks he possesses the qualities needed to put Mokaev to the test and questioned his undefeated streak. Kape stated, “He wanted a bigger test; I’m the biggest test of this division, so there you go, you ask for something they deliver…”

Kape also mentioned that he has noticed “mistakes” in Mokaev’s fights that he plans to exploit. He believes this fight will show his ‘championship-caliber’ against the undefeated contender. In conclusion, with both men eager to stake their claim on a chance at UFC gold, fans will be eagerly  waiting to see if the fight delivers on the hype that has built up around it. Do you think Manel Kape will hand Muhammad Mokaev his first defeat in MMA? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!