Manel Kape thought he ‘definitely won’ at UFC 304, says Muhammad Mokaev’s short pull deserved point deduction

Manel Kape is not happy with the officiating of his fight against Muhammad Mokaev both from a judging and refereeing standpoint.

Kape (19-7 MMA, 4-3 UFC), a UFC flyweight contender and former Rizin FF champion, lost a close, but lackluster unanimous decision to Mokaev (13-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) in the preliminary card of Saturday’s UFC 304 in Manchester, England.

It was a fight with little action from both sides, but with a few of fouls from Mokaev’s side, which came by an accidental eye poke and groin strike, and a blatant grab of Kape’s shorts to avoid being pushed off. Neither of which received a point deduction.

Kape was not happy with the work of referee Mike Beltran, but regardless, he thought he did enough to get his hand raised.

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

Kape saw a four-fight wining streak come to an end with the defeat to Mokaev. His most recent loss in the UFC had come against Brazil’s Matheus Nicolau in 2021.

Many thought the fight could’ve had title implications for the winner, given both fighters’ runs and standing in the division. Instead, he may soon be getting a pink slip from the promotion, despite his unbeaten status.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 304 .