Simply days after his knockout win over Kyoji Horiguchi at UFC Vegas 119, Manel Cape instantly discovered himself embroiled in a verbal warfare on social media with UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland.
After all, that was nothing new for Strickland, and it was a sequence of very intensely private messages. Though they do not compete in the identical division, each fighters practice on the identical fitness center, Excessive Couture in Las Vegas, underneath the steerage of head coach Eric Nikcik. The dialog started with Strickland insulting Cape’s supervisor, Ali Abdelaziz, after which escalated to accusing the flyweight contender of dishonest.
Mr. Cape’s rebuttal accused Mr. Strickland of speaking about vital issues however not truly confronting his supervisor after they have been in the identical room, and of accusing the all the time outspoken middleweight of enjoying a bully and “simply pretending to be a tricky man.” The trade undoubtedly escalated with every message they shared, however Cape is not sweating the sudden confrontation with Strickland.
“Nothing,” Kape informed MMA Preventing. “Some individuals simply discuss rather a lot and now we have to place individuals of their place. Class would not matter. Some individuals have to indicate who the true persons are. Who’s a bully and who’s not a bully. Individuals typically confuse weight with confidence. It is nothing.”
A couple of years in the past, after “Starboy” was scheduled to face teammate Kai Kara-France however pulled out of the cardboard because of damage, Kape engaged in a verbal sparring match with then-UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya. Though the confrontation didn’t end in any form of bodily altercation, Cape was not going to again down from the problem.
The identical goes for his insults in direction of Strickland and Cape.
The veteran flyweight challenger is not searching for hassle or attempting to start out a combat with Strickland, however he is additionally not going to show down somebody he is speaking to only as a result of he is greater than him.
“He desires consideration. He loves consideration,” Cape stated. “It is like this. We’re constructed in another way. We’re constructed in another way and a few individuals deserve some solutions that put them of their footwear. That is what I imply.”
“However we’ll all be wonderful. We’re all guys. We’ll all take care of what now we have to take care of. In our personal method.”
As for the long run, Kape is not nervous that their on-line banter will someway flip into an even bigger drawback in the event that they find yourself sharing the identical mat once more.
Kape is unlikely to face Strickland anytime quickly as he takes some much-needed break day after his current combat. In the meantime, Strickland left Las Vegas for Florida and is working with American High Workforce to assist his outdated good friend Johnny Eblen put together for his personal title combat within the PFL.
That stated, Cape has educated with Strickland prior to now and expects to take action once more, however he would not foresee any long-term points between the 2.
“We are able to cross (the street),” Cape stated. “We’re in the identical metropolis, identical fitness center and all the pieces. So we simply crossed[roads].”
“Belief me, I am very assured in myself. Let’s examine if it is awkward. Some individuals (speak about) on-line. Some persons are good in actual life. We’re wonderful. (This is not the primary time).”
