UFC Vegas 103 Results: Manel Kape Finishes Asu Almabayev by TKO to Renew Flyweight Title Shot Claims

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Manel Kape made a case for a flyweight title fight following the third-round soppage of Asu Almabayev in the headliner of UFC Vegas 103: Kape vs. Almabayev at the UFC Apex Facility in Las Vegas on Saturday (March 1) night.

The 10-fight card, which marked the Octagon return to the Apex, saw six fights go the distance, while four, including headliners, ended in stoppage. All four stoppages were either knockout (KO) or technical knockout (TKO) with three of the finishes coming on the main card.

Nasrat Haqparast vs Esteban Ribovics lightweight bout on the main card bagged the fight of the night award, while two other fighters - main eventer Kape and Mário Pinto took home an extra $50,000 USD as performance bonus. Here is the recap for the UFC on ESPN+ 111 event:

UFC Vegas 103 Recap

In the main event, flyweight contender No. 6 ranked Kape welcomed No. 8 ranked Almabayev as a late stand in for a clash to close the UFC Vegas 103 event at the Apex in Las Vegas.

Kape was dominant from the opening stanza through to the third round with superior striking that hurt Almabayev and held off any offense. The end came for him when the punishing blows were too much, and Kape got the TKO, ending Almabayev's very long unbeaten streak.

With a performance proving he's a true contender, Kape said, "Alhamdulillah for everything I've been through and have accomplished. Who's next? I stopped a guy with a 17-fight win streak. You guys really thought that I'm scared to fight him because he's a wrestler.

"I can wrestle, I can stand with anyone in this division. I'm the best. I'm the Star Boy. And pay attention (UFC flyweight champ Alexandre) Pantoja, Kai Kara-France, be ready, because I'm gonna steal that belt like I steal candy for my daughter. My daughter is my motivation."

In the co-main event, middleweights Cody Brundage and Julian Marquez delivered fast and furious fireworks that only lasted one round. Marquez looked to be close to a KO but Brundage dug deep and got the knock down on his opponent with the referee stepping in to stop the contest.

With the TKO victory, Brundage said, "I feel like a15 second knockout is what everybody wants, but I think I needed that more. I think people question if I'm a fighter, if I've got a fighter's heart, and I think I showed it tonight.

"I've got so many good people around me and they've always told me, 'Hey man, you can do it.' I think I had to get close to losing the dream to realize how bad I really wanted it. My wits weren't about me, but I just had make it happen."

Also on the main card, Sam Patterson stopped Danny Barlow in the welterweight opening bout before Nasrat Haqparast and Hyder Amil earned decision wins in their respective lightweight and featherweight bouts against Esteban Ribovics and William Gomis.

In the preliminary card, Mario Pinto finished Austen Lane in the second-round of a heavyweight bout, while Chepe Mariscal, Danny Silva, JJ Aldrich and Ramazan Temirov earned the points on the judges' scorecard for decision wins. Here is a look at the final results of UFC Fight Night 253:

UFC Vegas 103 Results

Main Card

• Flyweight Bout: Manel Kape defeated Asu Almabayev by TKO (strikes) at 2:16 of Round 3
• Middleweight Bout: Cody Brundage defeated Julian Marquez by TKO (strikes) at 4:45 of Round 1
• Lightweight Bout: Nasrat Haqparast defeated Esteban Ribovics by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
• Featherweight Bout: Hyder Amil defeated William Gomis by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
• Welterweight Bout: Sam Patterson defeated Danny Barlow by KO (strikes) at 3:10 of Round 1

Preliminary Card

• Heavyweight Bout: Mario Pinto defeated Austen Lane by KO (right hand) at 0:39 of Round 2
• Featherweight Bout: Chepe Mariscal defeated Ricardo Ramos by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Catchweight (148 lbs) Bout: Danny Silva defeated Lucas Almeida by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
• Women's Flyweight Bout: JJ Aldrich defeated Andrea Lee by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
• Flyweight Bout: Ramazan Temirov defeated Charles Johnson by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)