Manel Kape-Su Mudaerji Flyweight Bout Scrapped From UFC Fight Night 205

.@UFC announces an additional update to #UFCVegas52 : https://t.co/0JqGHP4rVN

— UFC News (@UFCNews) April 21, 2022

One of the more exciting bouts from the upcoming Ultimate Fighting Championship card has been nixed days before it was set to take place.

Per the organization on Thursday, the flyweight matchup between Manel Kape (17-6) and Su Mudaerji (16-4) has been removed from the lineup of UFC Fight Night 205. The explanation for its cancellation was that Kape had to withdraw for personal reasons. There will be no replacement sought for Mudaerji, and the fight has been scrubbed from the billing. The event on April 23 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas will carry on with 12 fights.

“Starboy” Kape was looking to keep his momentum going, as he notched a pair of first-round knockouts in 2021 against Ode Osbourne and Zhalgas Zhumagulov. Of note, the stoppage of Osbourne – one where he missed weight by three pounds – ended a two-fight skid where the Angola native dropped decisions to top contenders Matheus Nicolau and Alexandre Pantoja. As a professional, the former Rizin Fighting Federation champ celebrates a stellar finish rate of 94%, with each of his last 13 victories coming inside the distance.

Fellow ex-bantamweight Mudaerji also was coming into their meeting with momentum behind him, with three wins in a row including his last two at 125 pounds over Malcolm Gordon and Zarrukh Adashev. The man known as “Tibetan Eagle” made his promotional debut in 2018 against Louis Smolka, and he fell victim to an armbar in the second stanza while competing as a bantamweight. While not as high as his former adversary Kape, the Chinese contender celebrates his own stoppage rate of 87% since debuting in the sport in 2016. In the first three years of his career from 2016 to 2018, Mudaerji fought a whopping 17 times, while in his last three, he has stepped in the Octagon thrice.

UFC Fight Night 205, also known as UFC Vegas 52, will continue with a dozen bouts and a headliner at 115 pounds between Amanda Lemos and Jessica Andrade. The co-main event comes at lightweight between Clay Guida and Claudio Puelles, while additional featured fights on the billing include a 125-pound collision between Maycee Barber and Montana De La Rosa, as well as a heavyweight clash pitting Alexander Romanov against Chase Sherman.