UFC Fight Night: Kape vs. Almabayev Preview
Manel Kape lands a stinging left hand on Felipe dos Santos. Credit: MMA Fighting.
The UFC returns to its headquarters at the APEX with a superb Fight Night card. From start to finish, plenty of top-notch fighters are looking to perform on the biggest stage in MMA. In the co-main event, we’ll witness two prolific finishers face off when Cody Brundage takes on Julian Marquez. In the main event, there will be a clash of top-ten Flyweights when the always-entertaining Manel Kape takes on red-hot prospect Asu Almabayev. Let’s take a look at the fights on the main card.
Danny Barlow vs. Sam Patterson
Danny Barlow blasts Josh Quinlan with a brutal left hand. Credit: MMA Fighting.
Welterweight Bout
Danny Barlow: 9-0-0, 5 KO/TKO, 1 Sub.
Sam Patterson: 12-2-1, 4 KO/TKO, 7 Sub.
Barlow is undefeated and has UFC victories over Josh Quinlan (6-4-0) and Nikolay Veretennikov (12-6-0). A highly accurate striker with impressive speed and power, he’s always pursuing a knockout. He’s a lengthy fighter and uses it well, typically holding the center and picking his opponents apart with long straights and kicks. He constantly looks to set up flying knees, attempting them regularly throughout his fights. Barlow throws every shot with power and remains patient, continually looking for openings to do damage. Training at Law School MMA, he has solid cardio, carrying his power and speed across all three rounds and always remaining technical. He fights behind his jab, constantly popping it out before following up with brutal combinations. Barlow is unlikely to take the fight to the mat but has shown solid takedown defense and has an excellent sprawl.
Sam Patterson submits Kiefer Crosbie with a arm triangle choke. Credit: MMA Fighting.
Patterson has won four of his last five fights and has UFC victories over Yohan Lainesse (9-3-0) and Kiefer Crosbie (10-5-0). He’s a well-rounded scrapper who’s always willing to engage and has lethal chokes. He’s a lengthy fighter and uses it well, maintaining solid distance management while throwing long punches and kicks at range. Patterson remains technical on the feet, keeping his shots straight and tight without telegraphing or overextending. Patterson is averaging nearly two takedowns landed per fifteen minutes and transitions with impressive speed in top position. He prefers submissions to ground and pound and can find them incredibly quickly, typically pursuing chokes immediately upon reaching the mat. Patterson has secured half his victories in the first round and has not been past the second round in his last six fights.
Hyder Amil vs. William Gomis
Hyder Amil lands a cracking left hook on JeongYeong Lee. Credit: MMA Mania.
Featherweight Bout
Hyder Amil: 10-0-0, 6 KO/TKO, 1 Sub.
William Gomis: 14-2-0, 7 KO/TKO 1 Sub.
Amil is undefeated and has UFC victories over Fernie Garcia (10-5-0) and JeongYeong Lee (11-2-0). He’s a vicious, accurate striker that throws every punch with knockout intentions. He’s constantly pressuring forward, looking to unload combinations of heavy hooks and straights. Amil has a solid chin and is always willing to hang inside the pocket in brawl, but also has excellent head movement and counterstriking. Training with the Skrap Pack, he has a purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and solid wrestling skills to back up his striking, capable of performing powerful slam takedowns. He pushes a heavy pace from the opening bell, always coming out guns blazing and extending lengthy combinations. Amil is at his most dangerous early on but carries his power throughout, having scored five of his six knockouts in the second round.
William Gomis lands a perfectly executed spinning kick to the body of Yanis Ghemmouri. Credit: MMA Mania.
Gomis is on a thirteen-fight win streak dating back to 2016 and has UFC victories over Joanderson Brito (17-4-1), Francis Marshall (8-2-0), and Yanis Ghemmouri (12-3-0). He’s a patient, technical striker with a diverse kicking game. He won’t overwhelm his opponent with movement or volume, instead using accuracy and power to land damage. Training at MMA Factory, he’ll often end combinations with kicks and does an excellent job of moving in and out of the pocket without eating shots. He’s a solid wrestler, has fantastic takedown timing, and is very strong in the clinch. He’s patient in top position and won’t put himself in dangerous spots, but he has good pressure and is hard to shake off. Gomis is defensively sound everywhere, having defended 71% of significant strikes and 70% of takedowns attempted on him in the UFC.
Nasrat Haqparast vs. Esteban Ribovics
Nasrat Haqparast prepares to unload ground and pound onto Jamie Mullarkey. Credit: MMA Fighting.
Lightweight Bout
Nasrat Haqparast: 17-5-0, 10 KO/TKO, 0 Sub.
Esteban Ribovics: 14-1-0, 7 KO/TKO, 5 Sub.
Haqparast has won four of his last five bouts and has UFC victories over Jared Gordon (20-7-0), Marc Diakiese (18-7-0), and John Makdessi (18-9-0). He’s a tenacious, powerful striker who’s always coming forward looking to land damage. He fights behind his jab and throws everything in combination, regularly dipping his head before unloading looping hooks and overhands. Haqparast throws every shot with power and is very durable, always willing to eat a shot to land one, but has solid distance management and footwork. Training at TriStar Gym, he won’t often initiate grappling exchanges, often resorting to wrestling if he’s hurt or taking damage on the feet. He has solid cardio, pushing a consistent pace throughout while maintaining his power at all times. Haqparast always pushes a heavy pace, and has landed, on average, about 95 significant strikes in his last five fights.
Esteban Ribovics cracks Daniel Zellhuber with a right hook. Credit: Yahoo Sports.
Ribovics has won four of his last five outings and has UFC victories over Terrance McKinney (15-7-0), Kamuela Kirk (12-6-0) and Daniel Zellhuber (15-2-0). He’s a heavy-handed scrapper, coming out guns blazing and pushing a heavy pace from bell to bell. He’s constantly looking to close the distance and unload inside the pocket with brutal hooks. Ribovics tends to brawl more as the fight continues, often starting rounds fighting technically and taking more risks as they go on. Training at Kill Cliff FC, he has solid defensive grappling abilities and has proven capable of surviving in deep waters on the mat. Although he won’t typically initiate grappling scenarios, he has heavy ground and pound and submission skills, particularly shoulder locks. Ribovics is always dangerous, especially early on, with five of his seven knockouts coming in the first round.
Cody Brundage vs. Julian Marquez
Cody Brundage brutally slams Zachary Reese to the mat. Credit: MMA Fighting.
Middleweight Bout
Cody Brundage: 10-6-0, 5 KO/TKO, 3 Sub.
Julian Marquez: 9-5-0, 6 KO/TKO, 3 Sub.
Brundage has won two of his last five bouts with one no contest and has UFC victories over Tresean Gore (5-2-0), Dalcha Lungiambula (11-6-0), and Jacob Malkoun (8-3-0). He is a powerful wrestler with solid power in his hands. He’s averaging over two takedowns landed and nearly one submission attempted per fifteen minutes. Brundage is willing to fight on the feet and throws everything with power, often ducking his head to throw counterstrikes. He uses a great variety of attacks and is a creative striker, with him most commonly throwing overhands and hooks. Training at FactoryX Muay Thai, he often shoots early and has solid takedowns, usually securing them quickly. Brundage is exceptionally explosive and unpredictable, holding one-shot knockout power and regularly jumping guillotines.
Julian Marquez exchanges punches with Sam Alvey. Credit: MMA Fighting.
Marquez has won two of his last five outings and has UFC victories over Sam Alvey (34-18-1), Darren Stewart (16-10-0), and Maki Pitolo (15-11-0). He’s a well-rounded brawler who’s always looking to push the action. He’s constantly coming forward, pressuring his opponent, and crashing into the pocket to throw big, looping hooks. Marquez has not attempted a takedown in UFC but is averaging over two submission attempts per fifteen minutes, often finding submissions defensively. He never accepts a position on the ground, always looking to improve and find a finish, usually a choke. Training at the MMA LAB, he tends to headhunt and throw every shot with knockout intentions. Marquez has scored all of his UFC finishes in round two or three and can survive in deep waters.
#6 Manel Kape vs. #8 Asu Almabayev
Manel Kape rains down ground and pound after dropping Ode’ Osbourne. Credit: Zuffa LLC.
Flyweight Bout
Manel Kape: 20-7-0, 12 KO/TKO, 5 Sub.
Asu Almabayev: 21-2-0, 3 KO/TKO, 9 Sub.
Kape has won four of his last five fights and has UFC victories over #13 ranked Flyweight Bruno Silva (14-6-2), Ode’ Osbourne (12-8-0), and Felipe dos Santos (8-2-0). He is a former Rizin Bantamweight champion and is a fantastic, flashy striker. He’s constantly looking to counterstrike, throwing every shot with purpose and deadly accuracy. Kape has excellent distance management, switches stances constantly, and will often blitz in with big shots before returning to range. He has heavy power for a Flyweight and doesn’t telegraph anything, frequently timing his shots when his opponent enters his range. Training at Xtreme Couture, he won’t typically initiate grappling exchanges but has a solid submission game and can be dangerous off his back. Kape takes some time to get going, but once he finds his rhythm, he heats up and lets his hands go.
Asu Almabayev unloads ground and pound onto CJ Vergara. Credit: Athlon Sports.
Almabayev is on a 17-fight win streak and has UFC victories over Matheus Nicolau (19-6-1), Jose Johnson (16-10-0), and CJ Vergara (12-5-1). He’s exceptionally well-rounded, with dominant wrestling and flashy striking. He’ll constantly throw spinning attacks on the feet and can land damage at range or in the pocket. Almabayev has landed 18 takedowns in just four UFC fights and has excellent chain wrestling, able to find takedowns from anywhere. Training at DAR Pro Team, he’s an efficient grappler who never wastes energy or telegraphs his shots or transitions. He has smothering top control, rarely allowing his opponent to throw up any offense as he pursues a finish. Most of Almabayev’s finishes have come after round one, and he tends to heat up as the fight continues.
Best Bets
Barlow vs. Patterson to Not Go the Distance: This is an outstanding matchup to kick off the main card and I’m excited for this fight. Two relative newcomers to the UFC, this is a massive opportunity for either man to establish his name in the promotion with a big win. In a combined 24 career fights, they’ve produced 17 finishes, with 11 coming in the first round. Both have secured finish victories in four of their last five outings, and have similar height, reach, and age. Although both are prolific finishers, they do it differently; Barlow tends to get it done on the feet with his hands, while Patterson has secured most of his finishes with his slick submission game. Ultimately, this will be a battle of who can utilize their gameplan, with each fighter possessing distinct advantages in different scenarios. Regardless of who walks away the victor, I anticipate a wild scrap that does not last all three rounds.
Esteban Ribovics by Decision: This is a matchup of two exciting strikers that’s sure to produce highlights. Although they’re both strikers, they have differing styles and levels of experience. Haqparast is an established veteran, joining the UFC in 2017 and utilizing a heavy-hitting, technical style to take out his opponents. Ribovics is a high-paced, high-volume striker in the UFC since 2023 and has already established himself as a top-notch scrapper after his wild brawl with Daniel Zellhuber. Although Haqparast has a definite advantage in experience, Ribovics presents numerous challenges for Haqparast’s style. Ribovics has a notable edge in hand speed, a massive difference maker for two fighters who put out a lot of punches. Ribovics also has a larger arsenal of attacks, regularly mixing in kicks whereas Haqparast largely favors his hands. Lastly, while Haqparast has solid cardio, he’s yet to face someone with the pace and output of Ribovics, which I expect him to significantly struggle with. I expect Ribovics to outpace Haqparast, outland him, and ultimately wear him down to a decision victory.
Asu Almabayev Moneyline: This is a fascinating matchup of vastly different fighters and an excellent way to close the card. Kape is a true striker with plenty of flashy attacks in his arsenal, constantly looking for highlight reel knockouts. Almabayev is a highly technical, well-rounded fighter with outstanding kicks and smothering wrestling. Kape likely has an advantage over almost anyone on the feet, but unfortunately for him, they don’t call it mixed martial arts for nothing. Almabayev has the top-notch grappling you’d expect from a fighter of his descent, but is also an outstanding striker with impressive speed and range management. Kape showed in his fight with Muhammad Mokaev that if you can take him down, it significantly slows down his wild style. Although Almabayev isn’t quite the pure wrestler Mokaev is, I think that’s to his benefit: Kape has never faced anyone that could put it all together as well as Almabayev, often facing specialists in his UFC tenure. I expect Almabayev to compete with Kape on the feet, but ultimately land multiple takedowns and control his opponent to a victory.
