"I broke the cartilage of my rib" - Manel Kape breaks silence after pulling out of UFC Vegas 91 fight

UFC flyweight Manel Kape was scheduled to fight Matheus Nicolau in the main event of UFC on ESPN 55 on April 27 at the UFC Apex facility. The fight, which was a rematch, has since been changed, as Kape was forced to pull out.

His withdrawal was initially unexplained, but Kape took to X (formerly Twitter) to elaborate on the reasons that prompted him to pull out of the fight.

Kape stated that he suffered a broken cartilage in his rib and was operated on last week. He also argued that each of his past fights that fell through were due to his opponents. He wrote:

"This is the first time I’ve ever pull out of a fight, I broke the cartilage of my rib and I couldn’t move for a week. On Thursday last week my surgery went extremely well. Bare in mind that all my fights that got cancelled in the past was due to my opponents. Where I came from we used to fight for free, I’m not bragging about I’m just being honest so don’t ever think I’m like some of you guys. ALLAH IS THE GREAT [palms up together emoji] #notimeforbrokepeople #mytimeismoney"

Check out Manel Kape's post below:

Kape's rematch against Nicolau was also previously scheduled for UFC Fight Night: Ankalaev vs. Walker 2. The bout was cancelled after Kape weighed in three and a half pounds over the flyweight non-title fight limit at 129.5 pounds.

---

Rival Kai Kara-France reacts to Manel Kape's withdrawal from UFC Vegas 91

No.8 ranked flyweight Alex Perez was announced as Manel Kape's replacement for UFC Vegas 91.

Check out the post on Instagram below:

The post on Instagram drew a reaction from one of Kape's fiercest rivals in Kai Kara-France. The No.4 ranked contender wrote one word and took a swipe at Kape for not making it to the fight. He said:

"lol"

Check out Kai Kara-France's comment in the screenshot below:

Kai Kara-France's reaction to Manel Kape being replaced in the main event of UFC Vegas 91. [via Instagram]

Kape and Kara-France were booked to fight each other at UFC 293 but the New Zealander pulled out due to a concussion he suffered during training. Kape didn't hold back at the press conference, and launched a verbal assault against Kara-France for pulling out.

Check out Kape's rant against Kara-France: