UFC fighters react to wild, weird fight between Muhammad Mokaev and Manel Kape

Muhammad Mokaev vs. Manel Kape didn't go the way we thought it would.
UFC 286: Edwards v Usman 3
UFC 286: Edwards v Usman 3 / Catherine Ivill/GettyImages
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The bad blood between Muhammad Mokaev and Manel Kape had been building for months. The hatred between the two fighters led to a wild series of events during UFC 304 fight week, including a hotel brawl between the two fighters.

At the weigh in, the two fighters had to be separated after Mokaev tried to get at Kape. The UFC responded by having extra security in the cage during the walk-ins. That proved to be a very wise decision as Kape tried to get at Mokaev before the fight even started.

With all the bad blood and the attempts to fight before the fight even started, you would expect to see a wild first round. Instead, referee Mike Beltran had to scream at both fighters to fight. The fight continued to get weirder as it continued. Kape suffered a badly broken toe. In the second round, Mokaev was penalized for illegally grabbing the shorts to win the position. This led to Beltran screaming at Mokaev for the foul and giving him the sternest possible warning. After viewing the replay, commentators Daniel Cormier and Michael Bisping were surprised that Beltran didn't take a point for the foul.

Perhaps the most surprising part of the night was the sportsmanship shown after the final horn. The two fighters hugged each other before heading to their corners ahead of the decision being read.

In the end it was Mokaev who was awarded the unanimous decision victory. With the victory, Mokaev improved to 13-0, with one no-contest. Mokaev entered the fight as the sixth ranked flyweight in the UFC and is quickly closing in on a future title fight.

"Hey 23 years old, 7-0 in the UFC. Please clap for Manuel Kape... I want a title shot. Hey guys, do I deserve a new UFC contract?" said Mokaev.

UFC fighters reacted to Mokaev vs. Kape

Kape had his four fight winning streak snapped with his loss at UFC 304. Kape remains one of the top flyweights in the UFC and should fight another top 10 ranked flyweight in his next fight.