UFC White House was always going to be a tough act to follow, so your average fan can’t be blamed for overlooking tonight’s UFC Vegas 119 event.
At the very least, the matchmakers have booked a glorious main event as top 5 flyweights Manel Kape and Kyoji Horiguchi meet in a rematch of their 2017 RIZIN Grand Prix bout that Horiguchi won by third-round submission. Why this fight is taking place in front of a select audience instead of a sizable crowd—their first fight took place at freaking Saitama Super Arena!—is beyond me, but at least we’re getting it, so we can’t complain too much.
Vibe-killing aside, this is a pivotal matchup for the longtime rivals, with Kape looking to finally secure a title shot and Horiguchi out to prove he’s still deserving of one last crack at UFC gold. Undisputed 125-pound champion Joshua Van will be watching this one closely, and could find himself with a legacy fight on his hands before the end of 2026.
Where: Meta Apex in Las Vegas
When: Saturday, June 20. The seven-fight early preliminary card begins at 5 p.m. ET, followed by a five-fight main card at 8 p.m. ET. The entire event streams live on Paramount+.
(Numbers in parentheses indicate standing in the MMA Fighting Global Rankings)
Manel Kape (4) vs. Kyoji Horiguchi (3)
Manel Kape’s game has evolved in the nine years since he first fought Kyoji Horiguchi and he’ll have to be on his best behavior to avenge that loss and keep his championship dreams alive.
No one can question Kape’s talent and finishing ability. The start of his UFC run was frustrating as he hesitated to pull the trigger, determined to find the perfect shot to manufacture the kind of highlight that made him a hot commodity coming over from Japan. Even when he started stringing together wins, Kape’s output could be maddeningly inconsistent. Regardless, it’s fair to say he’s been in the best form of his life during this current three-fight win streak.
One issue that has plagued Kape is his tendency to just give rounds away due to inactivity, likely because he’s confident he doesn’t need the judges. With five rounds to work with, it’s not the worst strategy, and Kape might be better off hunting for a finish as opposed to trying to outwork Horiguchi over 25 minutes. Kape struggles to win over the judges, with just three of his 22 wins coming by way of decision.
Horiguchi, on the other hand, is a master of adaptation and exploiting his opponents’ weaknesses. He’ll mix in a healthy dose of wrestling to slow Kape, while moving in and out with stinging strikes. At the same time, Horiguchi’s head has to be on a swivel because one good combination from Kape could do serious damage to the one-time UFC title challenger. Will Horiguchi take the reins early and force Kape to fight his fight?
What Horiguchi has lost in speed, he’s more than made up for in smarts, and I still think he’s too crafty to lose to Kape unless he just gets caught. I’m picking Horiguchi to win by decision.
Ion Cutelaba vs. Navajo Stirling
This is a penultimate bout, NOT a genuine co-main event. But Navajo Stirling could be a legit Apex headliner in the near future.
Maybe that’s damning the young light heavyweight with faint praise, but Stirling is still in the nascent stages of his fighting career, having made his pro debut less than four years ago. And you know what? The UFC has brought him along perfectly. Contender Series contract. Three wins against low-level competition to start his career. A showcase fight against Bruno Lopes in which he found an elusive finish. Now, a matchup with an experienced and dangerous veteran in Ion Cutelaba.
In 21 UFC appearances, Cutelaba has been in there with the best of them. He’s never been a legit contender, but he’s had a bunch of memorable moments and is as unpredictable as they come. I’m curious to see if he can throw the normally calm and steady Stirling off of his game.
Patience is one of Stirling’s key virtues. Though not blessed with standout speed, Stirling knows how to set a pace and he’s effective at range and up close. His takedown defense has also held up in his UFC fights, which should keep this on the feet if Cutelaba tries to go RAF on him.
As mentioned above, this is the kind of veteran test Stirling needs to push him towards a ranked opponent in his next fight. He outworks Cutelaba in the standup and avoids a risky brawl to win a decision and improve to 10-0.
Hyder Amil vs. Christian Rodriguez
If Christian Rodriguez had caught Hyder Amil two fights ago, this would have been an easy W for him. By now, we all know Rodriguez specializes in taking Os, but with Amil now on a two-fight losing streak, I guess that goes out the window.
MMA Math aside, this is still a winnable fight for the scrappy Rodriguez. His inability to make bantamweight means he’s always going to be at a physical disadvantage competing at 145 pounds, but he makes up for it in quickness and tenacity, two traits that should provide a huge boost against the heavy handed Amil. Look for Rodriguez to put Amil on his back early as well to try and drain the older fighter’s gas tank.
Amil is no sitting duck and he’s going to make Rodriguez work to get close, so Rodriguez’s sturdy chin will be put to the test. But I see Rodriguez wearing Amil down, surviving a handful of hairy exchanges and snagging a submission late in Round 2 or early in Round 3.
Melsik Baghdasaryan vs. Murtazali Magomedov
Most Paramount-era UFC cards feature at least one or two squash matches and, sorry Melsik Baghdasaryan, this looks like one of them. And not in your favor.
For the debuting Murtazali Magomedov, pressure and aggression are the name of the game. He’s patient enough on the feet with tight and crisp boxing, but he loves digging in in the clinch and making his opponent’s life hell. And if he smells blood, he pounces fast. Ten wins, five by knockout and five by submission. Magomedov doesn’t care how, you’re getting got one way or another.
Baghdasaryan presents challenges on the feet that Magomedov will have to navigate, and if he can get any sort of wrestling going, that would help him to spoil Magomedov’s debut, though Magomedov has dealt with takedown-focused game plans in the past. He usually deals with it by working to get back to his feet as efficiently as possible or attacking with subs from bottom position.
Bottom line: This is a showcase fight for Magomedov, who picks up his first UFC victory in Round 1.
Vinicius Oliveira vs. Andre Fili
Vinicius Oliveira, you are where you belong.
“Lok Dog” looked great on the scale Friday, moving up to featherweight for the first time. He was vibrant, full of energy, and still looked fit. A difficult weight cut wasn’t the only thing holding Oliveira back at 135 pounds, but he can comfortably be a contender at 145.
First, he has to get past Andre Fili. The 27-fight (!) UFC veteran is the definition of a tough out, and while his durability has understandably waned as he’s become an elder statesman (Fili turns 36 next week) of the division, he’s traditionally been difficult to put down and to look good against. Fili has gone to a split decision seven times in his UFC career, so Oliveira has to be prepared for a back-and-forth contest.
At this stage of their respective careers, though, Oliveira is far more dynamic and explosive than Fili. “Touchy” will do well enough to hang in there, he just doesn’t have that extra gear needed to hang with Oliveira for three rounds. Oliveira takes this one comfortably on the scorecards and avoids a trip to Splitty City.
Andre Lima def. Kevin Borjas
Bia Mesquita (11) def. Melissa Mullins
Allan Nascimento def. Mitch Raposo
Michael Aswell def. Gaston Bolanos
Levan Chokheli def. Leon Shahbazyan
Luana Santos (12) def. Karol Rosa (9)
Shane Collins def. Otari Tanzilovi
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