The MMA Daily

We have a ranked battle in the Flyweight division, as Rogerio Bontorin takes on Manel “Starboy” Kape. A loser of three of the last four fights, with a no contest sandwiched in there, Bontorin comes into this bout needing to get back in the win column. Still holding onto the eighth spot in the rankings, Bontorin is still positioned in a spot that he can become a contender with a few victories. Meanwhile, Kape has found his stride of late. After dropping his first two fights inside the octagon, Kape has now strung together two straight victories. More impressively, both have been first round stoppages.

This fight pairs two fighters headed in opposite directions. Seeing a victory over Matt Schnell turned to a no contest, Bontorin has not won a fight since 2019. Still ranked in the top ten, Bontorin should consider himself very forunate. A grappler, who has won eleven of his sixteen fights via submission, Bontorin can be problematic to navigate with on the ground. On the feet, while not nearly as active, Bontorin sticks to short and powerful shots. However, given he has yet record a knockdown in five fights inside the octagon, I wouldn’t go thinking Bontorin is heavy handed by any stretch. The opposite could be said about Kape, who has won eleven of his seventeen victories via knockout. A potent striker, with excellent speed and explosiveness, Kape has proven in the last two fights that he is one to watch at Flyweight. With good takedown defense, solid cardio and sneaky wrestling/grappling abilities, Kape has the tools to contend for the belt.

As for a prediction, I have Kape winning. While Bontorin may land a takedown or two, Kape isn’t one to settle on his back. Should he be able to pop back up, the fight is in his world. One in which is leaps and bounds above Bontorin’s. Having recorded two straight first round knockouts, I feel like a third isn’t out of the question. With that said, I predict that Kape wins via knockout.