Manuel Pedro Gomes[1] (born November 14, 1993), known as Manel Kape, is an Angolan-born Portuguese professional mixed martial artist.
[4] A professional since 2012, he has formerly competed for Cage Fighters, Knock Out Championship, and Rizin Fighting Federation.
[6] Kape had several boxing matches prior to beginning his mixed martial arts career, all of which occurred before his first MMA fight at the age of 14.
[10] Next he fought Ricardo Teixeira, earning his first submission win, ending the fight in the first round with a rear naked choke.
[13] Recouping, he fought Hicham Rachid at Invictus 1, and won the fight with a flying knee to the body.
[17] Kape won the fight in the fourth round through an armbar, which earned him the KOC Bantamweight title.
[18] Kape continued his winning streak by beating Francisco Javier Asprilla by way of a third-round TKO.
[25] Kape would go on to win the fight after just 71 seconds with a left leg head kick KO, although the stoppage was considered early by many observers.
[26] In the second round of the Grand Prix, Kape was scheduled to fight the former Tachi Palace flyweight champion Ian McCall.
Although Kape gave his opponent a competitive fight, he would lose the bout in the third round, after Horiguchi locked in an arm triangle choke.
[34] Sasaki would win a comfortable unanimous decision combining good striking with a strong ground game to beat Kape.
[36] Kape defeated Ito with a strong left hook to the body, which gave him a KO win in the second round.
Kape was scheduled to fight Kai Asakura in a rematch, this time with the vacant bantamweight title on the line.
[41] During the fight itself, Asakura tried to make use of his reach to outfight, while Kape looked to blitz in and land strikes.
[44][45] Kape was expected to make his promotional debut against Rogério Bontorin on August 15, 2020, at UFC 252.
[53] Kape faced Matheus Nicolau, as a replacement for Tagir Ulanbekov, on March 13, 2021, at UFC Fight Night: Edwards vs.
[61] Kape was scheduled to face Su Mudaerji on April 23, 2022, at UFC Fight Night 205.
[64] However, the bout was scrapped the day before the event due to Bontorin suffering kidney issues related to cutting weight.
[73] However Kara-France pulled out of the fight in late August after suffering a concussion during training, and was replaced by promotional newcomer Felipe dos Santos.
[84] After receiving three low-blows resulting in a point deduction for Silva, Kape won the fight by technical knockout via a body kick and punches in the third round.