Phantom tap? Manel Kape claims Muhammad Mokaev tapped to guillotine choke, posts video evidence

Welcome to Midnight Mania!

Manel Kape vs. Muhammad Mokaev is one of the more unique fight moments in recent memory. When’s the last time a fight had an exciting build up, absolutely terrible climax, then interesting and controversial fallout? Outside of the boring fight itself — which saw Mokaev defeat Kape via close decision — the whole ordeal has been rather entertaining.

The big narrative after UFC 304 has been Mokaev’s release. The 23-year-old Flyweight prospect has won seven in a row to start his UFC career, and his victory over Kape should have bumped him into the Top Five. Instead, he’s been released outright, reportedly for chasing Professional Fighter’s League (PFL) leverage and generally being difficult to work with.

Or maybe he’s just too boring.

Whatever the case, Kape is arguing online that Mokaev doesn’t deserve the win at all because he tapped to a guillotine. “Starboy” wrote on social media, “You can clearly see the moment when Mokaev Tap” alongside the slow-motion clip above, which does see Mokaev reach down to Kape’s leg in a tapping-like motion.

There’s a couple problems, however. One, the referee walks in front of the shot, blocking the view! Secondly, Mokaev could just as easily be moving his hand to press on the leg in an attempt to weaken Kape’s guard and general squeeze. It’s not exactly damning evidence, and far better cases have still failed to see commissions take action.

Ultimately, Kape is still on the roster and Mokaev is not, so the Portuguese fighter should probably just take that moral victory and move on.

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