UFC Vegas 103 Preview

The UFC is heading back to the Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada on Saturday March 1st for UFC Vegas 103. The main event will be in the flyweight division between #6 Manel Kape and #8 Asu Almabayev.

Kape is 5-1 in his last six fights and most recently defeated Bruno Gustavo da Silva by third round TKO in December. The Angolan fighter has hit his stride since 2022 but before that he collected a win over Kai Asakura in Rizin and his UFC debut was against current flyweight champion Alejandre Pantoja where he lost by unanimous decision back in 2021.

How important is this fight on Saturday to Kape? "I see this a title eliminator," Kape said.

"I didn't pull out of this fight, it was Brandon Royval. We both signed the contracts. I'm still here, with injuries or without injuries. I'm still going to this fight. Against Asu, I'm doing my job. I never choose opponents, and whoever they give me (I'll fight).

"In Australia. I was supposed to fight Kai Kara-France. They gave me a newcomer, and I faced him. I believe another person in my position will do (things) different to secure their ranking. But that's not who I really am.”

The 31-year-old continued, "It could be a newcomer again, or it could be someone UFC offers me. I'll still accept the fight and show that I trust myself. The deeper message is that I trust myself, I trust my skills, and I trust my game, and I'm gonna win, whoever they put in front of me."

Kape feels prepared to fight Almabayev. "The only change is that Royval is a taller fighter (and) I could work my body shots," he explained. 

"I like to strike to the body. I like to make people pay and do more this (type of) game.

"But against Asu, he's a much shorter guy. He reminds me of Bruno Silva. I will target more his face. 

"I believe his face is going to be full of blood, because he's going to be right there, and I have a longer reach. So that's the only thing I've changed in my game.”

While Kape was not originally preparing for a fight with Almabayev, he thinks he has spotted the path to victory. "He's a great fighter, but he's more a decision guy, and his conditioning is not the best," he said. 

"He is not the same fighter in the first and third round, and that's the key.

"I'm going to take advantage in that fight. I'm the same fighter, and even better when the rounds go up and up. So, for me, fighting five rounds is fighting on my terms, and I'll take the opportunity. 

"But, if (he) makes any mistake in the first round, I'll make him pay.”

Almabayev is on a 17 fight winning streak and is 4-0 in the UFC. He has not lost a fight since 2017. He most recently defeated Matheus Nicolau by unanimous decision in October. The Kazakhstani fighter is relishing the opportunity to prove he is a title threat.

"I feel great about this. Obviously, I was going to be on the card, and now the card has changed and I got all the way to the top, he said.

"This is something for me to show myself, to be able to show a great fight and then eventually get into the title race. So the biggest thing right now is just to come out, show out, win, and then everything else will fall into place. But I feel great. I feel really lucky.”

The 31-year-old continued, "I actually was preparing for (Steve) Erceg first, then he fell off. They gave me a Brazilian fighter (Nascimento) and I started preparing for him. And then, when Royval fell off, it was actually me who reached out to my management team and said, 'You know what? Give me this opportunity.'"

How does he feel about fighting Kape? "He's a great opponent," he said.

"He's very experienced. He's got good cardio, he's got good striking. He's not better (at) wrestling. But I think that whoever is going to come in there and implement their game plan, who is going to be more mentally prepared, that's the person that's going to win. 

"He's had his wins. He's had his ups and downs, losses. I've only been winning so far. I've been very good at that. It just depends on who's going to come out there and be number one, and who's going to say that 'I'm ready for this title.' And I think it's me. 

Almabayev is ready to prove he belongs at the top. "I need to be here. I deserve to be here. I worked really hard, so I'll show whatever I can and use every second to win.”

"It's every fighter's dream to be from around the world and represent their country here in the UFC – the biggest, toughest promotion in the world," he said.

The rest of the main card:

Middleweight - Cody Brundage vs. Julian Marquez

Lightweight - Masrat Haqparast vs. vs. Esteban Robotics

Featherweight - Hyder Amil vs. William Gomis

Welterweight - Danny Barlow vs. Sam Patterson

ESPN+ Prelims:

Heavyweight - Austen Lane vs. Mario Pinto

Featherweight  - Ricardo Ramos vs. Chepe Mariscal

Catchweight (148 lb)  Danny Silva vs. Lucas Almeida

Women’s Flyweight - Andrea Lee vs. JJ Alrich

Flyweight  - Charles Johnson vs. Rmazan Temirov