Manel Kape’s coach airs frustration at referee Mike Beltran’s performance in Muhammad Mokaev fight: “Four fouls in the first round!”

Manel Kape and Muhammad Mokaev shared an eventful UFC 304 fight week. The pair were notably involved in a scuffle at the fighter hotel. Their clash, which was highly anticipated due to the fiery build-up, produced some memorable moments, too.

After almost coming to blows in the octagon before the opening bell rang, the first round was unexpectedly lackluster, with neither man willing to throw caution to the wind and let emotions take over.

However, several notable fouls occurred in Rounds 1 and 2, particularly Mokaev's decision to pull down Kape's shorts to maintain control from top position during a grappling exchange.

The foul saw 'The Punisher' severely reprimanded by referee Mike Beltran, who could be heard stating, "Don't make me enforce the rules." But there was some confusion as to why Beltran did not deduct a point from Mokaev considering the severity of the foul.

The Angolan's head coach, Eric Nicksick, has now shared his thoughts on the referee's performance during a recent interview with Mike Heck. The Xtreme Couture head coach said:

"This is the facts - when Mike [Beltran] came into the back to give us our pre-fight rules meeting, he was steadfast that any infraction [is a point deduction]. You're warning is [backstage] here, right now, I'm giving you your warning... That's what he said to us."

Nicksick continued:

"After Round 1 I look at Mike and I go, 'Mike, that was four fouls in the first round! Where's the point [deduction]?'"

Watch Manel Kape's coach discuss Mike Beltran below (22:05):

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Manel Kape calls out Mike Beltran for allowing Muhammad Mokaev to cheat

Manel Kape has labeled Mike Beltran as the reason his opponent, Muhammad Mokaev, was allowed to get away with many fouls during their UFC 304 clash.

With the pair having been involved in not one but two scuffles before their scheduled clash, there was an expectation that the flyweight matchup would produce fireworks.

The fight went all three rounds, a result that not many predicted, and several days after the event, 'Starboy' took to X to call out Beltran for allowing Mokaev to cheat.

"You can clearly see the moment when Mokaev taps. Before the fight, we were warned by the same referee that any manipulation of tap or dirty games, the [referee] would end the fight or have removed a point. But??"

See Manel Kape's post below: