SUMMARY
- Manel Kape began his UFC career with two straight losses against Alexandre Pantoja and Matheus Nicolau.
- Ali Abdelaziz posted a photo of him and Kape in his story.
The world of UFC is always in the news for several reasons and has been a constant highlight. Whether it is hard-hitting action or personal disputes, the UFC always remains a happening place. Meanwhile, Manel Kape has generated huge headlines as the fighter has changed his name as well as his religion. Fans have been buzzing since the news broke out.
Manuel Pedro Gomes, commonly known as Manel Kape, is an Angolan-born Portuguese professional mixed martial artist who currently fights in the flyweight division. He was born on November 14, 1993, in Luanda, Angola. He has been a professional fighter since 2012, having previously fought for Cage Fighters, Knock Out Championship, and the Rizin Fighting Federation.
He began his UFC career with two straight losses. The first occurred at the hands of flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja, and the second occurred at the hands of his next opponent, Matheus Nicolau. Since then, Kape has amassed a remarkable 4-fight victory streak.
Alhamdulillah.
MMA fighter (former Rizin bantamweight champ) and number 6 UFC ranked flyweight @ManelKape (Musa Kape) has accepted Islaam. pic.twitter.com/5NzjnpodWy
— Borz ⛰ 🐺 (@Borz4562) January 30, 2024
The MMA fighter has decided to change his religion and has adopted Islam as his new religion. He posted a story on Instagram indicating the change. With a change in his religion, he has also introduced himself with a new name. Formerly known as Manel Kape to everyone, he is now named ‘Musa Masha’Allah’ since converting his religion to Islam.
Manel Kape’s ethnicity and current religion
This announcement seems to shock the fans of the MMA community, as the fighter has fully changed himself. Manel Kape was born in Angola’s capital, Luanda. Besides his regional background, Manel Kape is also of Portuguese lineage, making the 6th-ranked UFC fighter a dual national. Before he became a Muslim, he was a Christian.
Manel Kape has converted to Islam. His new name is Musa (arabic name for Moises). pic.twitter.com/u8Xikl1OLK
— Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) January 30, 2024
Ali Abdelaziz posted the photo alongside Kape, embracing Islam. Ali quoted (in Arabic) in his story, “I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, and I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah”. Fans showed immense support for Kape. “Hopefully he accepted himself,” wrote a fan. Another fan wrote, “May Allah keep him steadfast“.
His new name, Musa, is associated with the biblical name Moses. In the Muslim religion, this name means someone who is a true ‘savior’. There is little information available about Manel Kape’s childhood. The Portuguese-Angolan fighter’s sole known fact is that he began his professional MMA career in 2012. Starboy appears to be a family man.
Manel Kape is married and has a daughter
Manel Kape has always kept his personal life secret from the audience. He has never mentioned his personal life anywhere. However, there have been instances when he has been spotted with his family on several occasions.
It was recently disclosed that Kape has been married to Julia Kukharchuk in real life. It is unclear when they married, but they had a child together. Manel Kape has a daughter, Amy Kape. It was uncovered when he posted photos of his daughter on social media, which was surprising given that the 30-year-old usually keeps his personal life secret.
Kape’s wife and daughter also came to one of his latest battles at the UFC Apex. With his personal life well sorted and settled, he would look to improve in his future bouts. Kape’s new religion and name might add a lot to his willpower and determination to achieve more in the world of mixed martial arts.