Kape Calls Out Adesanya and Kara-France
Manel Kape stopped Bruno Silva with strikes at 1:57 of round three in Tampa on December 14, 2024. Afterward, Kape used his interview to call for a flyweight title opportunity against then-champion Alexandre Pantoja, while also directing taunts at Israel Adesanya and Kai Kara-France.
The video above is Kape’s post-fight interview after the Silva win. His heated exchanges with Adesanya and Kara-France carried over a rivalry that began publicly at a 2023 press conference, but the remarks did not represent booked matchups. Adesanya later responded to Kape’s Tampa comments, according to MMA Fighting.
The result itself was Kape’s third-round TKO of Silva. His main competitive target after the win was the flyweight title, while Kara-France was a fellow flyweight and Adesanya competed at middleweight.
Sources: official event results · official post-fight interview · report on the callout and response
A Return to Winning Form at Flyweight
The Silva victory followed Kape’s unanimous-decision loss to Muhammad Mokaev at UFC 304 in July 2024. That setback had interrupted a winning sequence that included a decision over Felipe dos Santos at UFC 293 in September 2023. Tampa therefore gave Kape an opportunity to rebuild momentum with a finish before turning the interview toward future opposition.
The sporting result and the post-fight remarks carry different meanings. Stopping Silva added a confirmed victory to Kape’s flyweight record. Asking for Pantoja or addressing Kara-France expressed his preferred next steps, but neither statement by itself established a contract or an announced championship bout.
Adesanya’s inclusion in the remarks came from the public rivalry surrounding Kara-France, rather than a shared weight class. Keeping the flyweight title request separate from that exchange makes the interview easier to understand: Kape’s immediate competitive ambition concerned the 125-pound division in which he had just defeated Silva.
Career reference: Kape’s official UFC record.
