Preview: UFC Fight Night 205 ‘Lemos vs. Andrade’

Flyweights

#14 FLW | Manel Kape (17-6, 2-2 UFC) vs. #12 FLW | Su Mudaerji (16-4, 3-1 UFC)

BETUS ODDS: Kape (-180), Mudaerji (+150)

The UFC flyweight division is in about as good a place as it has ever been, with these two talents adding to that strength. Born in Angola and representing Portugal, Kape came to the UFC with a considerable amount of hype after a breakout 2019 campaign, as he scored three consecutive second-round knockouts to become the Rizin Fighting Federation bantamweight champion. “Starboy” was thrown directly into the deep end with a UFC debut against Alexandre Pantoja—a pairing that could have firmly gotten Kape in the title mix with a decisive victory. Instead, the fight mostly highlighted the flaws in Kape’s approach. While Kape has a rare level of knockout power for the flyweight division, his confidence in that ability often leads to inactivity that can cost him on the scorecards. That tendency lost Kape both the Pantoja fight and a quick turnaround bout against Matheus Nicolau. Kape had his moments of powerful offense, but without the finish, both opponents were able to outwork him and take the narrow decision. Kape has turned things around quite well in his two fights since. Against Ode Osbourne, Kape did find his knockout with an explosive flying knee, and a December bout against Zhalgas Zhumagulov saw him match the Kazakhstani’s fast pace and score the finish in a brutal sprint. If Kape is truly turning a corner in terms of applying his gifts, that figures to spell trouble for his latest opponent. The UFC’s first Tibetan fighter, Mudaerji looked overmatched in his 2018 debut but has impressed in his three UFC fights since, all wins. A cut down to flyweight in 2020 has certainly helped. Already lanky as a bantamweight, “The Tibetan Eagle” has been able to use his reedy frame and some impressive timing on his counters to sting his opposition and dictate the terms of his fights. Add in some submission skills, and it is a tricky package that historically might have been enough to keep Kape at bay. However, with Kape’s most recent performance, the bet is that he will press things enough to find the knockout, particularly with Mudaerji’s tendency towards waiting to counter his opponent’s offense. That may mean he just gives Kape enough time to uncork something that catches him off-guard. The pick is Kape via second-round knockout.

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