Manel Kape isn’t dropping any sleep at night time over his knockout win over Asu Almabayev after there have been complaints {that a} late eye poke someway affected the result of the struggle.
The controversial second got here within the ultimate spherical when replays confirmed Kape’s fingers scraping across Almabayev’s eye, which referee Mike Beltran didn’t catch. A number of moments later, Kape was unloading punches to finally rating a third-round knockout in what was largely a one-sided struggle from begin to end.
A few days later, Almabayev posted a graphic photo on social media exhibiting off a bloodshot eye signaling the harm he took from the foul that wasn’t referred to as however Kape isn’t shopping for it.
“He posted this [photo] — folks all the time will discuss,” Kape instructed MMA Preventing. “When you see my struggle in opposition to Bruno Silva, the final kick was not a low kick. Watching in sluggish movement, it touched his liver. You’ll be able to see the response. Folks discuss ‘low blow’ like I used to be not profitable the struggle, I used to be not choosing them aside.
“In opposition to Asu, his eye grew to become like that, it was the primary punch. It was the primary punch that hit him. When you guys watch the struggle very fastidiously and watch the primary spherical, after I bought the punch, instantly his eye was already destroyed.”
Kape was undoubtedly getting the higher of the exchanges on the toes, and Almabayev couldn’t discover a dwelling for his wrestling in an try to decelerate the quick, devastating mixtures coming again at him.
So far as the attention poke that didn’t get referred to as within the closing seconds earlier than the struggle was over, Kape is fast to level out that Almabayev wasn’t defending himself however quite simply working away to keep away from absorbing additional harm.
Kape admits he was reaching out with an open hand however solely as a result of Almabayev turned and ran throughout the cage to get away from the barrage of strikes. By that time, Kape knew that the struggle was nearly over and he was simply making an attempt to attach with the pictures to place Almabayev down and out for good.
“Sure, usually that could be my fault as a result of he was working loads and I attempted to catch him as he was working,” Kape defined. “I prolonged my hand as a slap. The second catches him like this. It was not one thing very deeply to hassle him to not struggle as a result of even when he began, I let him [go] for 2 or three seconds and he was good. He tried to go for the takedown.”
For all the eye being paid to the late eye poke and the picture posted on social media exhibiting off Almabayev’s mangled eye, Kape is aware of he was in full management of that struggle and issues weren’t getting any higher for his opponent.
After all, Kape isn’t all that shocked that he’s going through criticism afterward as a result of that’s simply one thing he’s come to anticipate since becoming a member of the UFC roster.
“It was not a watch poke that made the struggle, that completed the struggle,” Kape mentioned. “I used to be beating him. Folks go and discover excuses as a result of it was me. Folks need to discover an excuse. There’s a sort of fighters that get a number of hate. This can be a particular fighters, the champions, they all the time speak about them and so they need to criticize them. I do know I’m one of many folks that get a number of hate however once you’re profitable, once you develop into a champion, they need to be in your facet. It’s going to be like one or two days individuals are going to hate you, they love you, all these items, making excuses.
“It was not the attention poke that made the struggle. I used to be choosing him aside. Truthfully, it was one of many best fights. I instructed him it was going to be a protracted night time. They simply was not able to consider that. They all the time need to attempt to discover excuses to my nice efficiency. All people hates the good fighters.”
Regardless of the controversy that stirred up afterward, Kape doesn’t maintain any ailing will in direction of Almabayev.
He simply means that Almabayev take some duty for his personal efficiency after he was getting crushed in one-sided vogue.
“It’s dangerous he posted the attention poke,” Kape mentioned. “I don’t know what his intention is to say? As a result of the struggle is over already. It’s not one thing dramatic. You shouldn’t have posted it since you was working [away] within the cage.
“When you don’t need to punch, cowl your self however don’t run. That is extra embarrassment than the attention poke. All people chooses the way in which they need to lose. I’m by no means going to lose as a coward, however that’s the life.”
