Manel Cape begs Dana White for a title shot after the win

Manel Cape got three base hits from Bruno Silva in UFC on ESPN 63 but he continued to fight and managed to win, which attracted the attention of Dana White.

Cape (20-7 MMA, 5-3 UFC) defeated the speedy Silva (14-6-2 MMA, 4-3 UFC) early in the bantamweight bout at Amalie Arena. He pushed his way through multiple groin shots and before the third round spoke to UFC CEO White about what he should do next for champion Alexander Pantoha.

Cape then came out in the third and piled on Silva, eventually landing a big combination that sent his foe crumpling to the canvas for a TKO at the 1:56 mark of Round 3 (via X):

Manel Kape was FIRED after finishing on #UFCTampa pic.twitter.com/GqWBUZDPNF

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) December 15, 2024

Minutes after the finish, Cape turned to White and told him across the cage, “I’ve never asked for anything” in his UFC career, but he wants the gold. White said he would meet with him backstage to discuss what’s next after the big win.

“I’m up against Pantoja,” Cape said in his post-fight interview with Michael Bisping. “There are levels to do this shit, and I’m the one who’s going to destroy Pantoja. So Dana, give me a fight against Pantoha because I’m the next flyweight pay-per-view star. No one can be like me. No one can dress like me. I’m awesome. I’m the best.”

The latest UFC on ESPN 63 results include:

• Manel Cape defeated Bruno Silva by TKO (punches) – Round 3, 1:57
• Dustin Jacoby defeated Vitor Petrino by KO (punch) – Round 3, 3:44
• Daniel Marcos won. Adrian Yanez by split decision (28-29, 30-27, 29-28)
• Navajo Stirling won. Tuko Toccos by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Michael Johnson won. Ottman Azaytar by knockout (punches) – 2nd round, 2:03
• Joel Alvarez defeated Drakkar Klose by KO (punches) – Round 1, 2:48
• Sean Woodson defeated Fernando Padilla by TKO (punches) – Round 1, 4:58
• Felipe Lima won. Miles Jones by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Miranda Maverick wins. Jamie-Lyn Hort by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Davy Grant’s victory. Ramon Taveras by unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
• Piera Rodriguez won. Josephine Knutsson by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

For more information on the card, visit the MMA Junkie Event Center UFC on ESPN 63.