Manel Kape expects his power and speed to be too much for David Dvorak.
Kape (17-6 MMA, 2-2 UFC) meets Dvorak (20-4 MMA, 3-1 UFC) at UFC Fight Night 216, which takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The card streams on ESPN+.
With his five most recent wins by knockout, Kape expects to take out Dvorak, who he doesn’t think will be able to keep up with his movement.
“He’s a stiff guy,” Kape said on MMA Junkie Radio. “It’s a fight I can win not easily, but I can win more easy than the other fights because he’s a perfect match for me. When I fight somebody more stiff, his footwork is not so developed so I can make my game – it’s where I see I have more weapons than him.”
Both men have dropped decisions to Matheus Nicolau, which has allowed Kape to draw confidence and plenty of takeaways from that fight.
“He’s going to feel not just the speed, but the power,” Kape said. “I have crazy power for my division. He’s going to feel my power, and when he feels the power, he’s going to try and take me down. He’s going to shoot for the takedown, because I saw his last fight with Matheus Nicolau and Matheus Nicolau dropped him.
“And if Matheus Nicolau dropped him, what am I going to do? Because I fought Matheus Nicolau and Matheus Nicolau is a fast guy. He’s one of the fastest guys, but he’s fast with his hands with no power. So if one guy is fast with no power and he drops you, then what am I going to do to you?”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 216.
UFC Fight Night 216’s Manel Kape: I have more weapons than ‘stiff guy’ David Dvorak