Manel Kape defeated Kyoji Horiguchi by finish in the main event of UFC Vegas 119 on Saturday night at the Meta Apex in Las Vegas. The flyweight rematch was the culmination of a fight card that featured several dominant performances on the undercard.
Kape, a former RIZIN bantamweight champion, extended his winning streak with the stoppage. Horiguchi, a former UFC flyweight title challenger, was unable to replicate his earlier success. In the co-main event, Navajo Stirling remained undefeated by stopping Ion Cutelaba, who had won four of his last five fights entering the bout.
Undefeated bantamweight prospect Beatriz Mesquita continued her rise, submitting Melissa Mullins with a first-round armbar to punch her ticket to a top-15 ranking. Featherweight Murtazali Magomedov made a statement in his Octagon debut, finishing Melsik Baghdasaryan with a modified twister early in the first round.
The event solidified divisional positioning for several fighters, with Mesquita breaking into the bantamweight rankings and Kape strengthening his case for a future title shot at flyweight. The winners from the card will likely see improved matchups in upcoming fight bookings.
The promotion now looks ahead to its next event, with several fighters from this card expected to return to action within the next few months. The UFC has not officially announced Kape's next opponent, but a top-five flyweight contender is widely anticipated.