By The Numbers: Manel Kape vs. Asu Almabayev

While Manel Kape has flirted with title contention for much of his tenure in the Ultimate Fighting Championship flyweight division, he has yet to get over the proverbial hill.

The former Rizin Fighting Federation champion will tackle yet another high-profile assignment when he collides with Asu Almabayev in the UFC Fight Night 253 main event on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Kape enters the Octagon having won five of his past six fights, a decision loss to the unbeaten Muhammad Mokaev his only misstep. He last suited up at UFC on ESPN 63, where he brought down Bruno Silva with a body kick and follow-up punches in the third round of their Dec. 14 encounter. Almabayev, meanwhile, finds himself on a remarkable 17-fight winning streak. He last saw action on Oct. 19, when he outpointed Matheus Nicolau to a unanimous verdict in their three-round UFC Fight Night 245 pairing.

As Kape and Almabayev move ever closer to their high-stakes showdown at 125 pounds, a look at some of the numbers that have accompanied them to this point:

31: Years of age for Kape, who was born in Luanda, Angola, on Nov. 14, 1993.

12: Kape wins by knockout or technical knockout, accounting for 60% of his career total (20). His list of UFC victims: Silva, Zhalgas Zhumagulov and Ode Osbourne. Kape owns five other wins by submission (25%) and three more by decision (15%).

112: Significant strikes landed by Kape in his three-round unanimous decision over Felipe dos Santos at UFC 293 on Sept. 9, 2023. It established a personal high-water mark for the Xtreme Couture rep that still stands.

45: Seconds needed for Kape to put away Renato Ferreira with punches under the Cage Fighters banner on Nov. 4, 2012. More than 12 years later, it remains his fastest finish to date.

154: Combined victories between the seven opponents—Mokaev, Nicolau, Alexandre Pantoja, Yuta Sasaki, Kai Asakura, Kyoji Horiguchi and Souksavanh Khampasath—who have beaten Kape. They boast a .768 cumulative winning percentage at 154-45-4.

31: Years of age for Almabayev, who was born on Jan. 25, 1994 in Janatalap, Kazakhstan.

9: Almabayev victories by submission, accounting for 43% of his career total (21). His methods of choice: six rear-naked chokes, one armbar, one Peruvian necktie and one guillotine choke. Almabayev holds three other victories by knockout or technical knockout (14%) and nine more by decision (43%).

55: Rounds started by Almabayev as a professional mixed martial artist. He has gone the distance on 10 different occasions and carries a 9-1 record in those bouts.

5: Different countries in which Almabayev has plied his MMA trade. In addition to his native Kazakhstan, he has fought in Russia, Bahrain, Indonesia and the United States.

.742: Cumulative winning percentage between the two opponents—Mehman Mamedov and Tagir Ulanbekov—who have defeated Almabayev. They sport a combined record of 23-8.