Tomorrow night in the main event of UFC Vegas 103, we are going to see a pivotal matchup in the flyweight division. Top ten contenders will battle it out as Manel Kape (20-7) takes on a new opponent in Asu Almabayev (21-2).
Originally, Kape was supposed to have a title eliminator against Brandon Royval, but Royval pulled out of the fight with an injury. With that, Almabayev has stepped in to this main event. I’m still expecting Kape to earn a title shot should he get the win. Kape is 5-1 in his last six fights and he’s one of the most exciting and dynamic flyweights in the world.
Asu Almabayev steps into a golden opportunity here. Almabayev made his UFC debut back in 2023 and so far, he’s gone 4-0 inside the octagon. In his last fight he defeated Matheus Nicolau and that win moved him into the top ten. Overall, Almabayev has won 17 fights in a row.
UFC Vegas 103 Prediction
In terms of the main event tomorrow night, I’m going to be watching for two things. I’m going to be watching cardio and I’m going to be watching the wrestling of Almabayev. Almabayev knows where his path to victory is. He cannot stand and strike with Kape over the course of five rounds. He’ll either get finished or completely dominated.
Kape has a huge advantage on the feet with his speed and power. Almabayev was only 1/6 on takedowns in his last fight and if that repeats itself at UFC Vegas 103, it’s going to be a really long night for him. If he wins, it’s going to look like Muhammad Mokaev’s win over Manel Kape. Mokaev was able to threaten takedowns which made Kape hesitant to throw.
I think Kape is going to get the job done tomorrow night. I just think he’s going to be too much on the feet and I think he’ll defend enough takedowns to avoid getting controlled for the better part of three rounds.
Prediction: Manel Kape by Decision
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