MANCHESTER, England – Coach Eric Nicksick found himself caught in the midst of Manel Kape and Muhammad Mokaev’s altercation on the host hotel, and he didn’t see it coming.
Kape (19-6 MMA, 4-2 UFC) faces Mokaev (12-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) on Saturday at UFC 304 from Co-op Live. Tensions have been boiling between the 2 top-ranked flyweights, who engaged in a brawl on the fighter hotel just days out from their fight. Kape’s coach Nicksick explains that Mokaev set Kape up after initiating conversation in a friendly manner.
“It was a really weird situation,” Nicksick told MMA Junkie. “Because we were all walking back into the hotel after which Mokaev and his team were coming out, they were very peaceful, and Mokaev desired to take an image with Manel. He said, ‘For our Muslim brothers, let’s take an image for peace,’ and Manel agreed to that picture. It just felt weird.
“The entire situation form of felt weird, but I turned my back to confer with Oban Elliott after which impulsively when Manel posed for that picture, Mokaev like sucker punched him. So, this whole thing ensued. It was so confusing for me because I turned around and impulsively there’s just commotion behind me.”
Their bad blood spilled over into the ceremonial weigh-ins, where Mokaev charged at Kape before the pair were separated. Nicksick thinks it’s a ploy from Mokaev and his team to throw Kape off his game.
Security took ZERO CHANCES letting Muhammad Mokaev and Manel Kape get close at #UFC304 ceremonial weigh-ins 😳😳 pic.twitter.com/MvkNRz8V9A
— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie) July 26, 2024
“It’s very smart on the Mokaev team,” Nicksick said. “I feel like what they’re attempting to do is get Manel to fight this fight emotionally and to fight out of his tactics in being precise and being accurate with the fight. So, good on them in a way, but we will’t take that bait. We got to fight smart, and that’s what we got to prove tomorrow.”
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