Originally scheduled to fight former title challenger Brandon Royval, who withdrew due to a concussion, Kape (21-7 MMA, 6-3 UFC) showed he belongs near the top of the weight class when he defeated the surging Asu Almabayev (21-3 MMA, 4-1 UFC) by third-round TKO on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

MMA pros reacted to Manel Kape’s TKO of Asu Almabayev at UFC Vegas 103 in their flyweight clash. Kape started on the offensive, landing combinations in succession. He continued to use his feints before landing a right hand that cut Almabaev over his left eye in the first round.