Manel Kape will get to fight at UFC 293 after all.
The company was quick to find Kape a new opponent after Kai Kara-France withdrew from the Sept. 9 card in Sydney, Australia, recruiting Brazilian newcomer Felipe dos Santos, multiple people with knowledge of the situation told MMA Fighting. Both sides have agreed but contracts are yet to be signed.
Dos Santos, a teammate of Charles Oliveira at Chute Boxe Diego Lima with a professional MMA record of 7-0 with one no-contest, was scheduled to face Luciano Pereira at Tuesday’s edition of Dana White’s Contender Series but saw his opponent withdrew due to medical issues.
Kape (18-6) is a former RIZIN champion who has dealt with difficulties getting match-ups in the UFC over the past few years with cancelled bouts against top-ranked opponents Deiveson Figueiredo, Alex Perez, and now Kara-France.
“Starboy” was victorious in his past three octagon appearances, knocking out Ode Osbourne and Zhalgas Zhumagulov before earning a decision over David Dvorak.
UFC 293 will air live on pay-per-view and feature Israel Adesanya vs. Sean Strickland for the middleweight title in the main event.
Damon Martin contributed to this report.