Manel Kape holds No. 2 at flyweight in both Media and Meta Rankings after UFC Vegas 119

Following his performance at UFC Vegas 119, Manel Kape has held onto the No. 2 spot in the flyweight Media Rankings and claimed the same position in the newly launched Meta Rankings, underscoring his standing as one of the division's elite contenders.

Kape, the 32-year-old Angolan southpaw out of Xtreme Couture, carries a professional record of 23-7-0 at flyweight. Standing five-foot-five with a 68-inch reach, he brings significant offensive output to his fights, landing 4.68 significant strikes per minute at a striking accuracy of 55 percent. His grappling remains a secondary but present threat, with 0.36 takedowns per 15 minutes and 0.2 submission attempts in the same window.

Kyoji Horiguchi, meanwhile, holds steady at No. 5 in the Media Rankings. The 35-year-old Japanese fighter, now training out of American Top Team, owns an impressive 36-6-0 record and brings a well-rounded skill set. He averages 3.64 significant strikes per minute and mixes in a more active takedown game at 1.67 per 15 minutes. At five-foot-four with a 63-inch reach, Horiguchi relies on technical precision and wrestling to create openings rather than raw output.

Why it matters

• Kape's No. 2 ranking in both systems signals broad consensus that he is among the flyweight division's top challengers.
• The Meta Rankings launching alongside the established Media Rankings introduces a parallel framework for evaluating divisional standing, though no transition timeline has been set.
• With Horiguchi sitting at No. 5, the gap between the two fighters in the rankings reflects the contrasting trajectories both men are on in a competitive 125-pound division.
• The Media Rankings remain the official standard for the foreseeable future, meaning Kape's No. 2 position there carries the most formal weight for title contention purposes.