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Internet calls Manel Kape's UFC Fight Night win into question over uncalled eye pokes

The replay of Manel Kape's eye poke to Asu Almabayev is making its way across social media in the aftermath of the UFC Vegas 103 main event.
Zain Bando|
Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

For the second weekend in a row, a UFC main event ended in mass controversy. Except this time, it was awarded a finish instead of needing the scorecards.

Manel Kape vs. Asu Almabayev

Flyweight contender Manel Kape sent shockwaves throughout the MMA community, dominating Asu Almabayev with a third-round TKO to halt the 31-year-old's undefeated UFC record, ending a near eight-year and 17-fight win streak alongside it at UFC Vegas 103 on Saturday night.

UFC Fight Night live results & highlights for Manel Kape vs. Asu Almabayev

Manel Kape met Asu Almabayev in a UFC Fight Night main event on Saturday.
Manel Kape met Asu Almabayev in a UFC Fight Night main event on Saturday. | (Zuffa LLC)

Although the victory likely puts Kape (21-7 MMA, 7-3 UFC) in position to challenge the eventual winner of UFC Flyweight Champion Alexandre Pantoja's (29-5 MMA, 13-3 UFC) rumored title defense against Kai Kara-France (25-11, 1 NC MMA, 8-4 UFC), the stoppage will likely be overshadowed by what wasn't deemed a foul: inadvertent eye pokes.

YouTuber "MMA Joey" referenced his frustrations about how Kape won, advocating for drastic measures to be taken toward Kape to send a stern warning that those actions, regardless of who is fighting, shouldn't be tolerated.

"Holy s***!!! After further review, Manel Kape needs to be disqualified," he wrote. "He literally pulled a Chris Weidman & double eye poked him for a finish. "Don’t believe me?? Here’s the slow mo where you can clearly see he eye pokes him with both hands. These weren’t even the [first] pokes."

If Kape had been disqualified, Almabayev (21-3 MMA, 4-1 UFC) would have been the first Kazakh fighter to win a UFC main event, much less remind the rest of the division that he was here to stay.

Kape Asked About Fouls After Win

Kape failed to address the now-viral clip during his post-fight scrum, much less take responsibility for the blatant foul which ultimately led to the win.

Manel Kape demands title shot after dominant victory in UFC Fight Night main event

“That’s not my job,” Kape said. “I didn’t see nothing. I think the [referee] should be more attentive. I’ve suffered so [much] stuff in the Octagon, so I don’t know. It was clear, for what I’ve seen, it was good, [he] could see me good. If he was not able to fight, if I think he was really stopping, so he was complaining about something, I give him three seconds, and I run back. I just didn’t do anything, so I fight.”

Kape has quickly moved on, but the rest of the MMA community hasn't.

Manel Kape has now won back-to-back fights.
Manel Kape has now won back-to-back fights. | (Zuffa LLC)

"I actually don’t like Kape that much, think he’s cringe, but in the heat of the fight s*** like this happens. He can’t just stop, that’s the ref's job to stop it," MMACentre wrote.

Another observer took issue with how glaringly obvious the final eye poke was, as there also were infractions in both Rounds 2 and 3.

"Dude literally OPENED his hand for that last eye poke," Hollywood Jabroni wrote.

It's unclear whether Kape will receive any punishment from the NSAC, or if the UFC will release a statement issuing further promotional discipline.

Undefeated heavyweight makes statement in UFC debut with stunning one-punch KO

Whatever the case, it's another reminder that MMA's drama never ceases to shine through.

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Published | Modified
Zain Bando
ZAIN BANDO

Zain Bando is a writer & columnist for Gameday Media's MMA Knockout, expanding his portfolio as a Staff Writer for Dallas Wings On SI with previous in-network contributions around the echosystem. Outside of covering fights, Bando's background includes Big Ten football and men's basketball with leans toward Illinois and Northwestern with a broader league view for bylines including The Sporting News, FanSided, Men's Journal and others since 2019. Bando can be reached at zainbando99@gmail.com or via his social media accounts @zainbando99.

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