Manel Kape set to headline UFC Vegas 119 vs. RIZIN foe who choked him to sleep

UFC flyweight contender Manel Kape will have to get revenge against a former RIZIN foe before earning a potential title shot.

The UFC flyweight title picture is becoming clearer as newly-minted titleholder Joshua Van prepares to face Tatsuro Taira in his first defense at UFC 327 next month. Van won the belt after Alexandre Pantoja suffered an injury just minutes into their fight at UFC 323 in December.

Outside of Van, Taira, and Pantoja, several other top flyweights are in the midst of making strong cases for title shots. This includes surging flyweight Manel Kape, who most recently finished former title challenger Brandon Royval in the UFC’s 2025 finale in December.

Kape has traded barbs with Van in recent months, signaling a potential matchup between the two top flyweights. But the UFC has other plans for Kape first, as he prepares to potentially exact revenge against a former RIZIN rival.

REPORTS: Manel Kape vs. Kyoji Horiguchi headlines UFC Vegas 119

As first reported by MMA Junkie, Kape will fight former Bellator bantamweight champion and UFC title challenger Kyoji Horiguchi in the UFC Vegas 119 main event on June 20th. The fight will take place at the UFC Apex.

Horiguchi is in his second stint in the UFC after stops in RIZIN and Bellator from 2017 to 2024. He submitted Kape in their first fight in the 2017 RIZIN World Grand Prix Finals in a back-and-forth affair for as long as the action lasted.

Kape has been on a roll in the UFC flyweight division in winning seven of his last eight fights, including finishes against Bruno Silva, Asu Almabayev, and Zhalgas Zhumagulov. His last UFC defeat came against Muhammad Mokaev at UFC 304.

Kape vs. Horiguchi will serve as the UFC Vegas 119 main event and features a heavyweight matchup between Jhonata Diniz and Jose Luiz. The full UFC Vegas 119 card is expected to be finalized and announced in the coming weeks.

What is your early prediction for Manel Kape vs. Kyoji Horiguchi 2? Let us know in the comments!