Rogerio Bontorin thriving as UFC 275 underdog ahead of Manel Kape bout

SINGAPORE – Rogerio Bontorin relishes the underdog role he’s in ahead of his fight vs. Manel Kape.

Bontorin (16-4 MMA, 2-3 UFC) is a sizable underdog (per Tipico) heading into Saturday’s UFC 275 flyweight bout against Kape (17-6 MMA, 2-2 UFC), which takes place at Singapore Indoor Stadium in Singapore. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN2/ESPN+.

Bontorin is winless in his past four fights, but remains ranked in the top 10 of the UFC flyweight rankings.

“Truthfully, I love being the underdog,” Bontorin told MMA Junkie and other reporters at UFC 275 pre-fight news conference. “I don’t want to tell anybody to bet, but the underdog is the only one that can actually surprise people, right?”

Kape is on a roll with two knockout victories in a row. Ironic, because prior to his UFC signing, Kape scored numerous submission wins. Bontorin is happy to test that part of his opponent’s game, too.

“Obviously the intention is never to take the fight for three rounds,” Bontorin said. “But as I see the fight, listen, it’s gonna be striking and taking him to the ground. So believe me, this is gonna be a fight everywhere.”

“… I think everyone tries to plan for what the fighter has been showing recently. So with what we have been seeing is what we’re preparing for. I mean he could be good at jiu-jitsu, but if you don’t train jiu-jitsu, this might not flow a little bit more. We’re just looking at where he is right now and what he’s shown recently.”