Aljamain Sterling was part of the fanbase on Saturday night when he watched on as Manel Kape scored a third round TKO victory in the UFC Vegas 103 main event.
Ahead of his UFC Vegas 103 main event, Manel Kape was confident that he could earn the next UFC flyweight title shot against Alexandre Pantoja.
‘Starboy’ went on to score the third round finish against Asu Almabayev but it was tarnished in controversy after Kape landed an eye poke during the finishing sequence.
Unfortunately for Kape, he was branded a ‘cheater’, which isn’t the first bout of criticism the Angolan has received as he has continuously been criticised over previous weight misses and pre-fight feuds.
Aljamain Sterling predicts Manel Kape will receive title shot following win
This marked Kape’s second finish in a row and will likely go a long way in him being picked as the next title challenger at 125lbs.
So much so, that he was given his plaudits by champion, Pantoja who welcomed the challenge of Kape next.
The flyweight division is in a relatively strange position with there being no clear number one contender for the Brazilian, however, there are a few names in the running.
The other potential flyweight in the running for the title shot, is Kai Kara-France. The New Zealander scored a huge KO win over former title challenger, Steve Erceg in his last outing and is seemingly one of the names being considered.
‘Don’t Blink’ and Kape have a longtime rivalry and were scheduled to settle that in 2023 at UFC 293, however, Kara-France withdrew due to a concussion which sparked a bizarre feud between Kape and Israel Adesanya.
Although it is relatively unclear who the promotion will decide to give the title shot to, former bantamweight champion, Aljamain Sterling believes Kape will be next.
“Manel Kape fights for the belt next! Great performance,” Sterling stated.
When asked about his opinion on the eye pokes, Sterling said: “One was a punch. And the last one was tough to say because I didn’t see the replay to really know.”
Alexandre Pantoja’s next title defense potentially leaked for UFC 316
Despite there being no clear number one contender, ‘The Cannibal’s’ next title defense could already be set.
During a post-fight show on ESPN, they pulled up a graphic of Pantoja’s name which included UFC 316 next to it, potentially leaking when he is scheduled to fight next.
UFC 316 is rumored to be taking place in Newark, New Jersey on June 7, with Kayla Harrison also rumored to be competing for the title against Julianna Pena on the card.