Dana White Straightforwardly Dismisses Contender's Request for Title Fight Opportunity
Manel Kape put on a show with his third-round TKO victory over Bruno Silva in Tampa on Saturday night, yet it wasn't enough to earn him a crack at the UFC flyweight title.
Kape requested a title shot from UFC President Dana White between rounds two and three, leading the fight comfortably. White responded, "You've got five more minutes. Take care of business and we'll chat."
Post-fight, the conversation between White and Kape was unclear. During the press conference, a journalist asked White if Kape would get the next shot at champion Alexandre Pantoja. White responded bluntly, "No, he's not. We'll give him what he's after though."
However, it's uncertain what the UFC will provide Kape if it's not a title shot. A potential title eliminator against Kai Kara France could be on the horizon.
Kape and Pantoja met in February 2021 in Kape's UFC debut, with Pantoja winning via unanimous decision. Saturday night, Kape was dominating. He outclassed Silva on the feet, as shown in the following exchange, and thwarted attempts for Silva to take him down.
Kape's striking was precise and explosive. He overcame three low blows from Silva to earn the finish. Silver received a point deduction for the third foul. The penalty proved inconsequential as Kape sealed the win in the final round.
Kape landed his own borderline kick to Silva to kickstart the flurry that led to the fight's conclusion.
Watch the finish here:
Entering the fight, Kape was ranked No. 9, while Silva was in 12th position. A spot among the top ten for Kape is likely in the new rankings to be released on Wednesday.
Kape might be just one more victory away from securing the title shot he desires. If he's not next for Pantoja, possibilities include a rematch with Kara France, a third encounter with Brandon Royval, or a title challenge from No. 7 contender Asu Almabayev.
Here are all the results from UFC Tampa:
UFC Fight Night: Covington vs Buckley Results
- Joaquin Buckley defeats Colby Covington by TKO (doctor's stoppage) at 4:42 of Round 3
- Cub Swanson defeats Billy Quarantillo by KO (right hand) at 1:36 of Round 3
- Manel Kape defeats Bruno Silva by TKO (strikes) at 1:57 of Round 3
- Dustin Jacoby defeats Vitor Petrino by KO (right hand) at 3:44 of Round 3
- Daniel Marcos defeats Adrian Yanez by split decision (28-29, 30-27, 29-28)
- Navajo Stirling defeats Tuco Tokkos by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Michael Johnson defeats Ottman Azaitar by KO (right hook) at 2:03 of Round 2
- Joel Álvarez defeats Drakkar Klose by KO (flying knee) at 2:48 of Round 1
- Sean Woodson defeats Fernando Padilla by TKO (strikes) at 4:58 of Round 1
- Felipe Lima defeats Miles Johns by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Miranda Maverick defeats Jamey-Lyn Horth by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Davey Grant defeats Ramon Taveras by unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
- Piera Rodriguez defeats Josefine Knutsson by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Tanner Boser defeats Josh Barnett by TKO (strikes) at 1:05 of Round 1
- Khamzat Chimaev defeats Gerald Meerschaert by TKO (corner stoppage) at 3:57 of Round 1
- Rodolfo Vieira defeats Anthony Hernandez by submission (triangle choke) at 2:02 of Round 1
- Darren Elkins defeats Nate Landwehr by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-27, 29-28)
- Angela Hill defeats Ashley Yoder by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Julian Marquez submits Dequan Townsend with a Kimura at the 1:52 mark of the second round.
- Augusto Sakai defeats Alonzo Menifield by a unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
- Marcus Edwards defeats Brian Kelleher by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
The TKO victory over Bruno Silva in Tampa strengthened Manel Kape's UFC results, but it didn't secure him a title shot. Dana White mentioned during the post-fight conversation that Kape might not be the next challenger for the flyweight title. Regarding the UFC Tampa results, Kape's impressive performance against Silva moved him closer to a top-10 spot in the new rankings.
