Kape Avenges 2017 Loss With Brutal Round 3 TKO of Horiguchi — Demands Flyweight Title Shot at UFC Vegas 119

Nine years. One submission loss. And a debt Manel Kape had been waiting his entire career to repay. Trailing on the scorecards after two rounds of a fast-paced flyweight rematch, “Starboy” found the perfect counter right hand in Round 3, dropped Kyoji Horiguchi, and finished the job with vicious ground-and-pound to force a TKO stoppage at 2:42 of the third round. The win at UFC Vegas 119, held at the Meta APEX in Las Vegas on June 20, 2026, extends Kape’s knockout streak to four straight and puts him squarely at the front of the queue for a shot at UFC flyweight gold.

UFC Vegas 119 Results — Kape Stuns Horiguchi With Revenge Knockout

This was a rematch nine years in the making. Horiguchi submitted Kape with an arm-triangle choke when the two first met in a 2017 RIZIN tournament in Japan — a fight that lasted deep into the third round before Kape’s night ended in defeat. On Saturday, the script flipped completely.

Main Event Result:

Manel Kape vs Kyoji Horiguchi Highlights — A Fight That Swung Completely

After a fun back-and-forth opening two rounds that favoured Horiguchi’s pace and output, Kape found a window of opportunity to completely steal the show.

Round 1 — Horiguchi’s Measured Start. “Karate Kid” fought a well-measured opening round, landing non-stop body and leg kicks and scoring an early takedown. Kape had his own moments of success too — some of his shots were enough to stun the Japanese veteran — but it was Horiguchi’s pace and output that shaded the round.

Round 2 — Horiguchi Doubles Down on Grappling. Horiguchi scored another takedown, secured top control, and racked up significant ground control time while hunting for a finishing submission. To his immense credit, Kape kept himself busy even from his back, landing strikes from underneath and refusing to let Horiguchi simply coast through the round. Still, by the end of two rounds, Kape was trailing on every reasonable scorecard.

Round 3 — The Turn. As the third stanza began, Kape went all-out from the opening bell — but it was Horiguchi who landed first, a clean right hand that stunned Kape and put him momentarily on the back foot. Kape absorbed the shot on unsteady legs. Horiguchi, sensing the opportunity, failed to press his advantage. It was the costliest hesitation of his career.

📺 Watch the full fight highlights: Manel Kape vs Kyoji Horiguchi — UFC Vegas 119 Highlights

Kape Knocks Out Horiguchi — The Counter That Changed Everything

Moments after absorbing that stunning right hand, Kape caught Horiguchi clean on a striking exchange of his own — a perfectly-timed counter right hand that landed flush and sent the former RIZIN and Bellator champion into a complete tizzy. Horiguchi crashed to the canvas.

Kape swarmed instantly. Heavy ground-and-pound shots rained down, leaving Horiguchi facedown on the mat, before referee Herb Dean stepped in to wave off the contest at 2:42 of Round 3. The Meta APEX crowd erupted. Nine years of waiting, settled in a single sequence.

In his post-fight octagon interview with Daniel Cormier, Kape did not hold back on his respect for his fallen rival: “Kyoji is an amazing fighter, I think the best fighter I’ve ever fought in my life. I’ve become what I’ve become because of fighting him. I want to be like him. In 2017, fighting him, I wanted to be like him, and if I’m here in this position, it’s because of Kyoji.” He added, with the swagger that has defined his rise: “One thing about me, I never give up. I face more adversity in life. I knew he was going to touch me at some point. One thing about me, if I touch you one time, believe me, you’re going to be dead.”

Manel Kape Title Shot Demand — “I Need to Fight for the Belt!”

The win extends Kape’s streak to four consecutive knockout victories and seven wins in his last eight appearances. He entered the bout ranked second at flyweight, having reportedly already been in line for a title shot before opting to take the Horiguchi rematch first — a decision that has now paid off in spectacular fashion.

Kape left no doubt about what comes next, declaring directly in the cage: “I NEED TO FIGHT FOR THE BELT!” He told Cormier he does not know the UFC’s official plans, but believes — emphatically — that he has now earned his shot at undisputed flyweight gold. The promotion has not yet confirmed its next championship matchup, with a long-awaited rematch between Joshua Van and Alexandre Pantoja still on the table. Whether Kape leapfrogs that fight entirely remains the biggest open question in the 125-pound division heading into the back half of 2026.

UFC Vegas 119 Full Card Results — Magomedov’s Historic Twister Submission

The Kape-Horiguchi headliner was far from the only story of the night. Murtazali Magomedov delivered one of the rarest finishes in UFC history, submitting Melsik Baghdasaryan via twister submission in just 1:17 of Round 1 — reportedly the fastest twister finish in UFC history. Vinícius Oliveira also impressed on his featherweight debut, stopping Andre Fili via TKO in Round 2.

Full UFC Vegas 119 Results:

UFC Flyweight Division Outlook — What’s Next for Kape?

The flyweight division has been turned on its head by Kape’s statement performance. Horiguchi — who challenged for UFC gold back in 2015 and spent eight years as a champion across RIZIN and Bellator before returning to the UFC last November with two straight wins — has seen his own title aspirations dealt a significant blow.

For Kape, the path now seems clearer than ever. A title shot has been earned, even if the matchmaking puzzle of Van vs. Pantoja still needs solving first. One thing is certain after Saturday night at the Meta APEX: “Starboy” is the most dangerous man in the flyweight division right now, and the wait for his first UFC title opportunity may not last much longer.

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