Manel Kape has signed a four-fight contract with the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
Kape’s team, AKA Thailand, confirmed the news Monday following an initial report from Combate. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. The 26-year-old Angola native captured the Rizin Fighting Federation bantamweight crown with a second-round technical knockout of Kai Asakura on Dec. 31.
Kape has compiled a 15-4 career record since making his professional debut in 2012. He joined Rizin in 2017, scoring first-round stoppages of Erson Yamamoto and Ian McCall in the promotion’s bantamweight grand prix before falling to Kyoji Horiguchi in the semifinal round of the bracket.