Manel Kape alleges Muhammad Mokaev tapped to a guillotine in UFC 304 fight
UFC flyweight contender Manel Kape feels he should’ve been awarded a submission win over Muhammad Mokaev.
Mokaev defeated Kape by unanimous decision to remain unbeaten in his professional MMA career at UFC 304. While the fight week beef between Mokaev and Kape entertained fans and pundits alike, it wasn’t enough to produce a barn-burner inside the Octagon.
After the event, Mokaev was cut by the UFC matchmakers and won’t be re-signed to a new contract. This, despite a 7-0 run in the promotion and being on the doorstep of a potential flyweight title shot.
Midway through Round 3, Kape pulled guard and nearly sunk in a fight-sealing guillotine choke to earn the come-from-behind victory against Mokaev. According to Kape, he should’ve been awarded the win after claiming Mokaev tapped to the guillotine attempt.
Manel Kape rips UFC 304 referee for missing potential tap
In a recent tweet, Kape cried robbery after UFC 304.
https://twitter.com/ManelKape/status/1818020378360562002
“You can clearly see the moment when Mokaev Tap,” Kape tweeted Monday. “Before the fight we were warned by the same referee that any manipulation of tap or dirty games the judge would end the fight or have removed the point . But ??”
As of this writing, Mokaev hasn’t responded to Kape’s post-fight claims. He was removed from the UFC flyweight rankings shortly after the win against Kape.
The loss to Mokaev snapped a four-fight winning streak for Kape. Before falling to Mokaev, he earned recent wins over the likes of Felipe dos Santos and David Dvořák.
Some fans challenged Kape’s notion that Mokaev tapped to the submission attempt, with one X user saying:
“He didn’t tap. Y’all both blew it. [In my opinion] both could have done way more.”
The bad blood between Kape and Mokaev seemed squashed when they embraced after the fight inside the cage. But, tensions remain thick, and Kape feels he was wronged by the official and deserved the victory.
