While Manel Kape has flirted with title contention for much of his tenure in the Ultimate Fighting Championship flyweight division, he has yet to get over the proverbial hill.
The former Rizin Fighting Federation champion will tackle yet another high-profile assignment when he collides with Asu Almabayev in the UFC Fight Night 253 main event on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Kape enters the Octagon having won five of his past six fights, a decision loss to the unbeaten Muhammad Mokaev his only misstep.