In the wake of Manel Kape eye-poke controversy, ex-UFC star feels MMA gloves are "about to be baking mitts" 'at this point'

Manel Kape's third-round TKO win over Asu Almabayev was tainted by multiple eye pokes that went unpunished by the referee. This drew the attention of former UFC middleweight-turned-PFL fighter Derek Brunson, who took to X/Twitter to share his thoughts on the matter.

The glove design that the UFC insists upon has faced criticism over the years due to the prevalence of eye pokes. While alternative glove designs exist, some exist under patents that the UFC would have to outright purchase. Thus, Brunson joked about MMA gloves needing to become oven mitts to hide an offender's fingers.

"At this point, MMA gloves about to be baking mitts"

The finishing sequence will be a bitter pill for Almabayev to swallow. After trying to notify the referee of yet another eye poke, which seemed intentional, he was pounced on by Kape, who proceeded to TKO him. After the bout, the Portuguese trash-talker was unapologetic about poking his foe in the eye.

Instead, he shifted responsibility onto the referee for not enforcing the rules enough. For Kape, the entire fight was little more than a dominant win that has reigning UFC welterweight champion Belal Muhammad calling for a title shot on Kape's behalf.

Whether that will happen is up to the UFC. Though it should be noted that Almabayev was ranked #8 in the flyweight division, so he wasn't exactly the top-level foe needed for Kape to justify a title shot. Moreover, some are questioning whether Kape is a dirty fighter following his UFC Vegas 103 triumph.

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Manel Kape is now on a two-fight win streak

In mid-2024, Manel Kape's stock had fallen tremendously. After a violent buildup to a UFC 304 grudge match with the undefeated Mohammad Mokaev, neither man delivered. Instea of a fiery war promised by their mutual animosity, both Kape and Mokaev had a tepid affair, which Kape lost. Fortunately, he has since rebounded.

First, he TKO'd Bruno Gustavo da Silva at UFC on ESPN 63. He followed that performance up with his latest win over Asu Almabayev, a controversial third-round TKO. Now, Kape will likely campaign for a title shot, but he may have to take a backseat until the Alexandre Pantoja vs. Kai Kara-France bout takes place.