“Starboy” wants to prove a point.
No. 2-ranked Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Flyweight Manel Kape returns to action in a rematch nine years in the making against Japanese star Kyoji Horiguchi in the main event of UFC Vegas 119 this weekend (Sat., June 20, 2026) inside the Meta Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada.
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While it has not been made official, Kape vs. Horiguchi will most likely serve as a title eliminator to determine who fights for the belt next after champion Joshua Van rematches Alexandre Pantoja later this year.
But according to Kape, he did not even have to take this fight.
Kape is coming off a first-round knockout of former title challenger Brandon Royval, which earned him a title shot against Van. However, he couldn’t make weight in time for UFC 327 in Miami, so Tatsuro Taira got the opportunity instead. That fight was later moved to UFC 328.
Usually, when a fighter gets offered a title shot and passes, the promotion kicks them to the back of the line. But for Kape, he claims he could have simply waited for the next title opportunity.
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Instead, he wanted to make a statement by fighting the ultra-dangerous Horiguchi, who has been on a roll.
“100 percent [he’s the hardest opponent in the division], that’s why I picked this guy,” Kape said at UFC Vegas 119 media day. “So I can scare the other guys that maybe might fight for the title. If I faced this guy, I didn’t wait because I had the option to wait for the title shot. I chose the stronger opponent than both of them. So, this tells a lot about me and how confident I am, and how much work I’ve been putting in. I have the mentality of a champion — no matter who, I’ll face them.”
“Starboy” is gambling on himself, and he sounds ultra-confident about it.
Of course, we have seen this backfire plenty of times before. Fighters have had title shots lined up, decided to stay active, and watched everything disappear with one loss.
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That is the risk Kape is taking.
Still, Kape is riding a three-fight win streak, with all three wins coming by knockout. And if he can add Horiguchi to that run, there should be no more waiting, debating or wondering who is next.
To checkout the latest UFC Vegas 119 fight card and rumors click here.
