Kape: UFC 304 fighter hotel brawl with Mokaev was a ‘set up’

When video of a brawl between the teams of Manel Kape vs. Muhammad Mokaev at the UFC 304 fighter hotel in Manchester, England, surfaced, many immediately placed the blame on Kape — the man can’t seem to make it through a fight week without trying to brawl with someone.

But, in this case (not the first case, either), Team Kape says it was Mokaev that started this latest fracas.

Kape’s coach, Eric Nicksick, spoke to MMA Junkie after the incident and claimed the whole thing was a “set up.” Indeed, Kape allegedly was asked to take a picture with Mokaev, “for our Muslim brothers,” only for Mokaev’s team to attack him moments later.

“What kind of Muslim are you?” Kape wrote on X (formerly Twitter) afterward. “You gave me Salam asked to take a picture and then tried to punch me in the betrayal, i can see now you are not a child of the dagestao, because there are created men you are just a poor bastard raised on a low income in Manchester without honor and principles.”

Kape then confirmed stories that had been circulating of a prior fight between the two at UFC’s Performance Institute.

“When I hit you in Vegas I went alone and I told you to be ready,” he said. “I don’t hit men with their guard down or distracted or on the back. I thought everything was solved, but now the carnage will continue… Shaytan!”

Kape vs. Mokaev was recently demoted to UFC 304’s early “Prelims” undercard. Let’s see if all this bad blood generates any fireworks in the cage.

Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 304 fight card right here, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. ET (simulcast on ESPN2 at 8 p.m. ET), before the pay-per-view (PPV) main card start time at 10 p.m. ET (also on ESPN+).

To check out the latest and greatest UFC 304: “Edwards vs. Belal 2” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.