SINGAPORE – Manel Kape thinks Deiveson Figueiredo is representing himself poorly by threatening to vacate the UFC flyweight title because the organization implemented an interim belt.
Figueiredo (21-2-1 MMA, 10-2-1 UFC) was unable to defend his belt on the timeline the promotion had hoped for due to injury, and because of that an interim 125-pound bout was booked between Brandon Moreno and Kai Kara-France at UFC 277 on July 30.
The decision to create an interim strap infuriated Figueiredo, who said he’s considering moving up to bantamweight if the UFC brass doesn’t show him more respect and give him a better contract to stay in the division he currently rules.
Kape (17-6 MMA, 2-2 UFC), who is a ranked contender in the weight class and is scheduled to fight Rogerio Bontorin (16-4 MMA, 2-3 UFC) on Saturday at UFC 275, took as shot at Figueiredo for his actions.
“Let Deiveson complain,” Kape told MMA Junkie and other reporters at UFC 275 media day. “This man is ungrateful. The UFC gives you everything and he’s right now starts complaining about the UFC makes an interim belt. He should be grateful for the opportunity he has. He was living in village and living with cows.”
Kape, who meets Bontorin on the UFC 275 pay-per-view main card at Singapore Indoor Stadium in Singapore, isn’t overly concerned with what’s going on at the top of the division. He thinks it’s just a matter of time until he’s holding the belt for himself, and argues the performance against Bontorin will show where he stands.
“This is my opportunity because Rogerio is a good opponent,” Kape said. “He’s been fighting Kai-Kara very well int eh first round. Kai-Kara give him a better punch, but I think Rogerio is a better fighter than these guys, and I will prove that I’m a better fighter than Rogerio and (win) this fight easily.”
