UFC flyweight contender Asu Almabayev’s left eye is a mess days after his UFC Vegas 103 loss to Manel Kape.
Asu Almabayev suffered more than his first UFC loss last Saturday at UFC Vegas 103.
Almabayev and Manel Kape clashed in a pivotal flyweight matchup between two of the division’s top contenders last weekend at the Apex. Almabayev stepped up on weeks’ notice to face Kape after Brandon Royval withdrew from the main event slot.
Despite Almabayev’s 17-fight winning streak, Kape made it look easy against the talented Kazakh at UFC Vegas 103. Kape was able to stop Almabayev’s takedown attempts and land some devastating combinations with his boxing and footwork.
But Kape’s win didn’t come without controversy. He accidentally eye-poked Almabayev in the opening rounds before appearing to swipe again at Almabayev’s left eye in Round 3, just before finishing the fight.
Asu Almabayev’s manager calls out ‘Rat’ Manel Kape for eye pokes at UFC Vegas 103
Many fans cried foul on Kape’s win after multiple questionable moments leading up to the TKO finish. As for Almabayev, his left eye is still bloodshot days after the UFC Vegas 103 headliner.
As shared by Almabayev’s manager in an Instagram story post, Almabayev’s left eye is badly compromised. His manager tagged Kape in the image along with a ‘rat’ emoji.
Warning: the image below is extremely graphic.
As of this writing, it’s uncertain whether or not Almabayev will need extensive medical work done on his eye and what his timetable is for a return. The loss to Kape was the first of Almabayev’s UFC tenure after recent victories over Matheus Nicolau, Jose Johnson, and CJ Vergara.
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Fight fans scolded Manel Kape after multiple eye swipes at UFC Vegas 103
As for Kape, he could potentially face UFC flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja in a rematch for his next fight. Kape lost to Pantoja by unanimous decision in his UFC debut in February 2021.
This isn’t the first time Kape has been at the center of controversy during his UFC career. He’s landed numerous low blows and eye pokes during his promotional tenure and got into multiple pre-fight brawls with UFC 304 opponent Muhammad Mokaev.
Mokaev labeled Kape a ‘dirty fighter’ after the eye poking controversy at UFC Vegas 103. Mokaev was cut from the promotion last year after defeating Kape by unanimous decision.
Kape continues to be the subject of strong criticism after his UFC Vegas 103 performance. Nevertheless, his win might’ve put him next in line for a title shot.