At the UFC 293 press conference, flyweight contender Manel Kape engaged in a heated exchange with Israel Adesanya, shedding light on the tension between them. Kape, originally slated to face Adesanya’s teammate Kai Kara-France, found himself in a war of words with the middleweight champion during the lead-up to the event.
While Sean Strickland’s verbal sparring with Adesanya took center stage, Kape and the “Last Stylebender” clashed in a memorable shouting contest. The conflict escalated as Kape stood firm in defending his position against Adesanya, who was backing his teammate, Kara-France.
Following the press conference, Kape revealed a backstage encounter with Adesanya in an interview with Michael Bisping. Despite Adesanya’s attempt to reconcile, Kape refused, emphasizing the lack of brotherhood between them. Kape even boldly offered to settle the dispute then and there, away from the cameras, asserting his confidence in defeating Adesanya without rules.
“We’re not brothers, first of all. Just because we’re from Africa, we’re not brothers. Kai Kara can defend himself. If you want to fight, let’s fight here without the camera. I swear to God I’ll smoke you here. In the street, I can beat you easily because Izzy is kind of a fake person,” Kape declared, expressing his frustration and asserting his authenticity.
The flyweight contender, grappling with a year marked by canceled fights, unleashed his pent-up frustration during the press conference, targeting both Kara-France and Adesanya. This tension spilled over into the Octagon, where Kape reignited the feud with a post-fight callout, adding another layer to the evolving narrative between these fighters.
For more insights into the intense exchange and Kape’s perspective, including his frustration with canceled fights, delve into the detailed interview. UFC fans can anticipate the continuation of this heated rivalry, adding an extra layer of anticipation to future events.