"Known Alex Pereira opponent" - Fans react as Manel Kape has new fight booked for UFC Tampa in December

MMA fans have been reacting to the news that Manel Kape will be facing Bruno Silva at UFC 249 in Tampa, Florida on Dec. 14. The event also marks the UFC's first return to Tampa since 2019.

Kape will head into the fight looking to make a statement as he seeks to bounce back from his unanimous decision defeat to Muhammad Mokaev at UFC 304 back in July.

Prior to his loss against 'The Punisher', the No.9-ranked men's flyweight had been on a tear in the division, winning four fights in a row and picking up a Fight of the Night bonus.

Following his defeat to Mokaev, 'Starboy' planned to return to the octagon before the end of the year. Ag. Fight has since confirmed the Portuguese fighter has been granted his wish, which Championship Rounds shared on X:

"🚨Manel Kape will take on Bruno Silva at #UFCTampa on December 14th! (per. @AgFight) #UFC #MMA"

Check out the tweet here:

Fans have since been reacting to the news, with one fan noticing Manel Kape's new opponent has the same name as a former rival of Alex Pereira. They wrote:

"Known Alex Pereira opponent"

Another fan said:

"Looks like it's going to be a Kape-tivating showdown. Can't wait for the action!"

One fan wrote:

"We will be there"

One user added:

"Terrible fight. Such an easy win for Kape"

X user @ChaelPSonne18 wrote:

"Please Kape let your hands go"

One fan said:

"Let's hope he let's his hands go this fight."

Check out more reactions here:

More fan reactions

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When Manel Kape reacted to his UFC 304 loss to Muhammad Mokaev

Manel Kape admitted he felt a little hard done by, following his unanimous decision loss to Manel Kape at UFC 304.

Despite the fight not living up to the intense rivalry, the pair fought out a high-level grappling bout and demonstrated their talents on the canvas. One moment of controversy occurred in the second round, however, when Mokaev grabbed Kape's shorts.

The referee decided to take away the advantageous position Mokaev had gained but refused to take a point away. 'Starboy' then took to X following the fight to express his frustration, stating that he would have won the fight if 'The Punisher' was deducted a point. He wrote:

"I definitely won this fight, that pull of the shorts deserved to be removed a the point, two fingers in the eyes, 3 kicks in balls. Anyway, it was not the best performance. I apologize for those who expected the best from me but only Allah knows. Alhamdulillah for everything."

Catch Kape's tweet here: