No one in UFC flyweight history has more knockout wins than Manel Kape, but that distinction is not good enough for him.
Kape (23-7 MMA, 8-3 UFC) took sole possession on the leaderboard for most striking finishes at 125 pounds Saturday when he defeated Kyoji Horiguchi (36-6 MMA, 9-2 UFC) by third-round TKO at UFC Fight Night 279 from Meta APEX in Las Vegas.
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Although he’s pleased to move out of a tie with Joseph Benavidez, Kape said afterward that his ambitions are much bigger than holding the record in one weight class.
Kape wants to be the knockout king for the UFC overall, and is setting the goal of replacing current leader Derrick Lewis on the top of the throne.
“Most knockouts with the least fights,” Kape told MMA Junkie post-fight at UFC Fight Night 279. “Imagine the other fights when guys pull out, if the fights had still gone on. I could’ve had more knockouts because I think I only have (11) fights in UFC with six knockouts. It’s a good average. I want to pass Derrick Lewis. I want to pass the record of Derrick Lewis, and I know I can do this.”
Kape, 32, has a significant amount of work to do if he even wants to threaten Lewis, who is comfortably at the top of the list with 16 knockout wins inside the octagon. Kape is a large distance behind at just six, so if he wants to complete his mission, there are many highlights to add to the reel.
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For now, though, Kape will have to live with being the most distinguished hitter in flyweight history.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Manel Kape aims to break Derrick Lewis’ UFC knockout record
