Ali Abdelaziz: does Manel Kape hit harder than a heavyweight?

The MMA manager is convinced of Kape’s extraordinary punching power.

Ali Abdelaziz has made an unusual claim about his fighter Manel Kape. The well-known MMA manager claims that Manel Kape, who competes in the flyweight division, hits harder than UFC heavyweight Josh Hokit. In a podcast called “Pound 4 Pound,” he explained:

“There is no fun matchup anymore in flyweight because Manel Kape is going to put everybody in a bodybag – everybody is getting knocked out from now until 2030…Who hits harder, Josh Hokit or Manel Kape? Manel Kape can hit harder than a heavyweight”

His opinion is based on the fact that Manel Kape has already knocked out fighters from higher weight classes and proven his punching power there as well. Ali also claims that he has to pay people just to get them to spar with him at all.

To be fair, Manel Kape is in outstanding form. Since his last loss in July 2024, he has won four fights, all of them early via KO or TKO. His last three victories were also awarded “Performance of the Night.” Most recently, he stopped Kyoji Horiguchi in the third round. This solidifies his second-place ranking in the current standings, and he could soon be considered the next title challenger. If he possesses the punching power Ali is talking about, Manel Kape should definitely have his sights set on the title.

I’m not questioning his talent or ability in the slightest. The only question I have is: if he really has that kind of punching power, shouldn’t he already be completely dominating the division? I just think Ali might have exaggerated a bit. Still, I’m happy to be proven wrong. Maybe we’ll even see Manel Kape compete in higher weight classes again.