Manel Kape knocked out Kyoji Horiguchi in the third round after being dominated for much of the fight, landing a decisive right hook when Horiguchi lingered in range after his own combination. Horiguchi had controlled the first two rounds with sharp counter-punching and takedowns but made a critical timing error that Kape capitalized on. The finish extended Kape's knockout streak to four consecutive in the flyweight division, placing him atop the all-time KO list in the weight class with five stoppages.
Manel Kape delivered a stunning late stoppage on June 21, knocking out Kyoji Horiguchi in the third round of their flyweight contest to claim a victory that looked far from certain for most of the night.
Kape, known as "StarBoy," entered the bout ranked sixth in the flyweight division with a record of 23 wins and 7 losses. The 32-year-old Angolan southpaw out of Xtreme Couture stands five-foot-five with a 68-inch reach and has built a reputation as one of the division's most dangerous finishers, averaging 4.68 significant strikes per minute at 55 percent accuracy. The finish gave him five flyweight knockout stoppages overall, placing him atop the all-time KO list at 125 pounds, and extended his current knockout streak to four consecutive.
Horiguchi came in with credentials to match, carrying a 36-6-0 record accumulated over a distinguished career at 35 years old. The Japanese veteran, now training out of American Top Team, used his sharp counter-punching and active takedown game — averaging 1.67 takedowns per 15 minutes — to control the first two rounds. He dictated the pace and kept Kape on the back foot for the majority of the fight. A momentary lapse in positioning after throwing his own combination, however, left him in range long enough for Kape to unload a decisive right hook that ended the contest.
Why it matters
- Kape's fifth flyweight knockout moves him to the top of the all-time KO list in the division, strengthening his title case.
- A sixth-ranked contender defeating a credible veteran like Horiguchi carries significant weight in a stacked 125-pound picture.
- The result highlights the danger of Kape's one-punch power even when he is being outworked, making him a unique threat regardless of how a fight unfolds.
