Warring UFC flyweights Muhammad Mokaev and Manel Kape appear to have written another chapter in their feud ahead of their bout at this weekend’s UFC 304 in Manchester.
It was alleged by figures close to the Dagestan-born British fighter Mokaev in recent weeks that a confrontation between the two at the UFC Performance Institute in Las Vegas turned physical, apparently causing a small cut to the unbeaten Mokaev’s forehead — and according to reports, as well as footage filmed of the direct aftermath, it seems the two have come to blows once more in the fighter hotel days out from their clash in Manchester’s new Co-Op Arena.
The footage, filmed on Wednesday, seems to show members of both fighters’ entourages engaged in a scuffle, as several attempt to calm the situation.
Muhammad Mokaev and Manel Kape got into an altercation in the fighter hotel 😳
— Lewis Simpson (@LewisSimpsonMMA) July 25, 2024
According to Xtreme Couture head coach Eric Nicksick, who oversees Kape’s training regimen, he believes that the incident was a set-up orchestrated by Mokaev’s team, telling MMA Junkie that Mokaev requested that Kape pose for a photo with him “for our Muslim brothers” before members of Mokaev’s team became physical.
Neither fighter has, as of now at least, directly referenced the incident, though Mokaev did post a photo to social media with the caption (after translation) reading: “This is how it happens in life. They didn’t teach you how to fight.”
The Mokaev vs. Kape fight is currently scheduled to take place on the UFC 304 prelims.
