UFC Vegas 84: Matheus Nicolau vs. Manel Kape Prediction, Odds, and Picks (Jan 13)
- Matheus Nicolau and Manel Kape meet again, almost three years after Nicolau beat Kape by split decision.
- Manel Kape has been without a single loss since his fight with Matheus Nicolau in 2021.
- In his most recent fight, Matheus Nicolau got KO-ed by Brandon Royval in Round 1.
The Matheus Nicolau vs. Manel Kape flyweight fight will serve as the co-main event of UFC Fight Night: Ankalaev vs. Walker 2 (a.k.a. UFC Vegas 84) on Saturday, January 13.
Our Nicolau vs. Kape prediction is that this is going to be a hell of a fight, possibly even winning the Fight of the Night award. But who’s gonna win this duel?
Judging by the Nicolau vs. Kape odds, it’s Kape who’s more likely to do it. Do we agree with bookies on this one? Keep reading to see our pick for the UFC Vegas 84 co-main event!
How to Watch
- When: Saturday, January 13, 2023, at 9:00 p.m. ET
- Where: UFC Apex, Las Vegas, Nevada
- How to Watch: ESPN+
Odds
| Manel Kape | |
| Matheus Nicolau |
Fight Preview
Matheus Nicolau is 19-3-1 in his professional career, with all of his three losses happening by knockout/technical knockout. The most recent of those happened in his last fight – Brandon Royval beat him with knee and elbows last April.
Losing to the UFC Flyweight contender isn’t too embarrassing, although Nicolau did get KO-ed pretty quickly. Royval put him to the ground after just over two minutes of fighting in the first round.
Now, Nicolau has a chance to redeem himself in a fight against Manel Kape who’s 19-6 overall. What needs to worry him is that “Starboy” is an expert striker with a knockout-to-win percentage of just under 60%.
Nicolau managed to beat this guy once already, but that happened almost three years ago. And it happened by a split decision. Even though Kape recorded more significant strikes in that fight, Nicolau did better wrestling-wise, making two takedowns without suffering any.
Matheus Nicolau vs. Manel Kape Prediction
We think Manel Kape has grown as a fighter since the split-decision loss to Matheus Nicolau. He’s improved his takedown defense, which is now 77%. That’s a higher number than any of Nicolau’s last four opponents.
READ ALSO: UFC Vegas 84: Magomed Ankalaev vs. Johnny Walker Prediction, Odds, and Picks (Jan 13)
Further, Kape has also increased his striking numbers and is undefeated since that loss. This guy has the motivation to set things straight, which is another reason why his UFC Vegas 84 odds are as short as -220.
Bookies believe in him and so do we!
Free Pick:
