When Manel Kape and Kyoji Horiguchi make the final two walks to the Octagon on June 20, the tension is sure to be high. With Joshua Van reigning over the flyweight division, one could assume the Las Vegas main event will, at the very least, determine who will get a crack at UFC gold after Alexandre Pantoja gets his rematch. However, timing matters, so the winner on June 20 could have things break in their favor in the form of a title shot later in 2026. Regardless, the stakes are as high as they can get without a belt up for grabs.
On its face, Kape and Horiguchi are a fascinating and fun matchup. Two of the fastest fighters at 125 pounds with well-rounded skills and fight IQ to boot, the five-rounder has the makings of a high-level contest. Add to that some history, and you could have something special.
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Nine years ago, when both competed under the RIZIN banner, they met in a Grand Prix matchup in December 2017. At the time, Horiguchi was two fights and eight months removed from his last UFC fight, a decision win over Ali Bagautinov that brought his Octagon record to 7-1. He joined RIZIN three months later, picking up first-round finishes in each bout. On the other side, Kape was a spry, 24-year-old prospect coming off a pair of first-round finishes himself to bring his professional record to 11-1. Horiguchi was, at the time, by far Kape’s stiffest test, and in the closing minute of the third round, snatched an arm-triangle choke to get the submission victory.
That shared past adds a little extra drama to their upcoming tie, but as any fighter would tell you, there isn’t much to take from a first fight that came nearly 10 years prior.
Kape is keen to give Horiguchi “all the flowers” for the performance but is quick to point out that he was overachieving at the time, saying he trained with his cousin in Africa, a far cry from his current training home of Kleber Repolho Jiu Jitsu & MMA.
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“We’re different fighters, different environments, different resources,” Kape told UFC.com. “Things that I didn’t have before for a long time — I didn’t have that kind of resource. He had it already at that time… We went too far for where we came from for what we were doing. I was a young kid. Fearless. Talented. But not in the right garage. You had a Ferrari, but in a popular, ordinary garage.”
Horiguchi acknowledges as much, describing the 24-year-old Kape as a more “natural” fighter compared to now. The 35-year-old cites Kape’s technique as the most improved aspect around him, but he also jokes that a clash of heads suffered in that initial matchup makes his memory of the night a little foggy. Regardless, Horiguchi remains adamant that he’ll repeat 2017’s result in Las Vegas.
“It’s not the same opponent,” Horiguchi said. “It’s like a new opponent. Also, he has good striking and good defense, and good takedown defense, so I’m focused on mixing up everything, using everything. Then, I will finish him.”
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Considering his older age, it’s natural that Horiguchi would appear a little slower than he was in their first scuffle, and Kape believes he is in the thick of his prime. While he is careful not to glean too much from the fight, he does take confidence from giving Horiguchi plenty of problems when the Japanese representative was arguably in his prime.
“His speed was his advantage, timing,” Kape said. “I know his game too well. Right now, I’m with a very good strategy, and whatever he shows me, I will be very ready to face anything he shows me Saturday night.”
Granted, when it comes time for their respective walkouts, all of that washes away. Now, Kape is the higher-ranked fighter looking to thwart Horiguchi’s quick climb up the ladder since returning to the roster.
For Horiguchi, Kape is not just a familiar face. He’s a ticket to the title picture.
Those stakes would be enough to make this required viewing, but that shared, commonly held past adds just enough spice to distinguish this main event from any other that the promotion could put together to follow the epic scenes at UFC Freedom 250.
UFC Fight Night: Kape vs Horiguchi took place live from Meta APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada on June 20, 2026. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!
