Manel Kape vs Asu Almabayev at UFC Fight Night 253 | Preview & Prediction
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The main event is a cracker at UFC Fight Night 253 and while it may not possess the fireworks that may hope for in a main event, it will be fast, frenetic and action-packed
Manel Kape vs Asu Almabayev Facts
When is UFC Fight Night 253? UK – the preliminary card starts at 9:00pm on Saturday 1st March 2025, followed by the main card at 12:00am (Sunday) / USA – 4:00pm/7:00pm ET and 1:00pm/4:00pm PT
Where is UFC Fight Night 253? UFC Apex, Las Vegas, USA
Where can I get tickets for UFC Fight Night 253? Click here for the latest ticket information for UFC Fight Night 253
What TV channel is UFC Fight Night 253 on? UK – TNT Sports / USA – ESPN+
Where can I stream UFC Fight Night 253? UK – TNT Sports subscribers can stream the event online via the TNT Sports website and discovery+ / USA – ESPN+ & UFC Fight Pass
For viewers in the United States, UFC Fight Night 253 will be shown live on ESPN+ and you can sign up for access as part of a Disney Bundle here!
What time are Manel Kape and Asu Almabayev expected to walk out? 2:15am UK / Saturday 1st March, 9:15pm US ET / 6:15pm US PT
UFC Fight Night 253 Main Card
Manel Kape vs Asu Almabayev (Flyweight)
Cody Brundage vs Julian Marquez (Middleweight)
Nasrat Haqparast vs Esteban Ribovics (Lightweight)
Austen Lane vs Mario Pinto (Heavyweight)
Hyder Amil vs William Gomis (Featherweight)
UFC Fight Night 253 Prelims
Danny Barlow vs Sam Patterson (Welterweight)
Ricardo Ramos vs Chepe Mariscal (Featherweight)
Douglas Silva de Andrade vs John Castaneda (Bantamweight)
Andrea Lee vs JJ Aldrich (Women’s Flyweight)
Danny Silva vs Lucas Almeida (Featherweight)
Montana De La Rosa vs Luana Carolina (Women’s Flyweight)
Charles Johnson vs Ramazan Temirov (Flyweight)
Manel Kape: Number 6-ranked flyweight targeting title shot contention
Manel Kape (20-7) will be targeting a win here in the hope that it puts him closer to title shot contention in the flyweight division. He comes off a TKO win over Bruno Gustavo da Silva just over three months ago in December and that was an impressive way to bounce back from the unanimous decision loss to Muhammad Mokaev at UFC 304. Kape was slated to face Brandon Royval in this event but he had to withdraw so Almabayev steps up.
Asu Almabayev: 17-fight win streak on the line
Asu Almabayev (21-2) will put his 17-fight win streak on the line here and the Kazakh fighter stepped in with just four weeks’ notice for arguably his biggest fight in the UFC. After Brandon Royval was forced out through injury, Almabayev stepped up and it will be interesting to see if he produce his best with a shorter training camp. A win here would catapult the number eight potentially into the top five of the UFC rankings.
Manel Kape vs Asu Almabayev Prediction
The main event at UFC Fight Night 253 had to be rescheduled after Brandon Royval withdraw but the surging Asu Almabayev will pose a really good challenge to Manel Kape.
Kape is really well-rounded and he knows a win will really put him that step closer to a potential title shot.
Almabayev is a really tough opponent and there is not doubting how the Kazakh is going to approach this one. He will look to wrestle throughout and gain Octagon control for as long as he possibly can.
That may not make for an entertaining fight if he does manage to impose his wrestling on Kape but he is very effective.
Kape will want to keep this fight standing and look to outwork him which is more than capable of doing. He will however likely get taken down at some point.
We do not love the odds on this one and think Kape’s price is a little inflated given the fact Almabayev has not had a full camp so from a value perspective, we would possibly lean towards Almabayev. However, our play here is on this fight going the distance.
Prediction: Fight to go the distance
