Kape Comes in Heavy, Nicolau Bout Cancelled
In a disastrous turn of events, flyweight contender Manel Kape missed weight by a staggering 3.5 pounds ahead of his scheduled UFC Fight Night 234 co-main event bout against Matheus Nicolau on Friday. As a result, the highly anticipated rematch has been cancelled entirely by the UFC.
Kape stepped on the scale at 129.5 pounds, well over the 126-pound flyweight limit. His opponent Nicolau made weight at 125.5 pounds. This marked the first time in Kape’s UFC career that he has missed championship weight.
The UFC initially announced that the fight would proceed as a catchweight with Kape forfeiting 25% of his purse to Nicolau. However, shortly afterwards they reversed course and scrapped the bout altogether due to the unprecedented weight miss.
Nicolau Lashes Out, Fight Future Uncertain
An irate Nicolau slammed Kape’s behavior as “disrespectful” and accused him of “cheating the system.”
“That guy is completely irresponsible and disrespectful towards me,” said Nicolau. “All I have to say is that the system has failed again by allowing this absurd to happen without punishing accordingly.”
He questioned why Kape should even be rewarded with a future fight after such an egregious weight miss.
“Does he deserve anything? Does he deserve to fight in the UFC again? I don’t think so,” Nicolau asserted. “He needs to chase that mistake he made.”
Kape apologized but claimed the weigh-in scale was inaccurate. He also accused Nicolau of refusing to still take the fight despite being offered 20% of Kape’s purse. Nicolau has disputed this version of events.
With the bout now cancelled, the fight future for both men remains uncertain. Kape was potentially one win away from a flyweight title shot against champion Alexandre Pantoja. Instead, his hopes have been badly derailed.
Lead Up To The Fight
Kape and Nicolau have history, having fought previously in 2017 before both joined the UFC roster. Kape won that bout by controversial split decision.
They were booked to run it back as the UFC Vegas 84 co-main event in a critical flyweight contender matchup.
Both men have been on recent hot streaks, with Nicolau winning five straight fights while Kape had won three of his last four. The winner was expected to secure a future flyweight title shot against Pantoja.
What Happens Next
Kape will face heavy sanctions for the weight miss. At minimum he can expect to receive a lengthy medical suspension term.
The UFC may also hand down additional disciplinary action given how unprofessionally he missed weight as a top 5-ranked contender.
As for Nicolau, his future is also up in the air after losing out on this big opportunity. He could potentially remain on the card against a short notice replacement. Barring that, he’ll likely have to wait for the next top 5 opponent willing to sign on to face him.
Kape had directly called out Pantoja with a plan to fight him next should he win on Saturday night. That possibility now appears to be off the table entirely given Kape’s issues making flyweight limit.
Pantoja will likely face the winner of the upcoming Brandon Royval vs Askar Askarov bout at UFC 296 in a title defense instead. As for Kape, this weight cutting disaster may force him to move up permanently to bantamweight going forward.
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| January 11, 2024 | Kape vs Nicolau rematch announced as UFC Vegas 84 co-main event |
| January 12, 2024 | Kape misses flyweight limit by 3.5 pounds, fight cancelled |
| January 13, 2024 | UFC releases statement that Kape will receive sanctions |
This unfortunate situation has thrown the UFC’s flyweight title picture into disarray right as 2024 is getting underway. One of the division’s top contenders will now sit frozen on the sidelines facing disciplinary action instead of competing in a critical bout.
For Matheus Nicolau, he is denied the chance to avenge a previous loss andloses out on securing the next flyweight title shot that he strongly coveted.
As the UFC Vegas 84 event goes on with a scrapped co-main event, the rest of the flyweight division will closely watch to see how the aftermath of Kape’s weight cut fiasco continues to unfold.
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