Why Fans are Mocking the UFC’s Latest Booking
Fans are tearing into the UFC over the decision to run the Manel Kape vs Kyoji Horiguchi rematch inside the Meta Apex on June 20 instead of putting it in a full arena, arguing that a high‑stakes fight with deep history deserves a real crowd.
From Saitama to Apex
Kape and Horiguchi first met in the Rizin World Grand Prix bantamweight semifinals on December 31, 2017, at Saitama Super Arena in Japan, a building that famously holds around 18,000 for MMA and was sold out for that New Year’s Eve event. Horiguchi submitted Kape with an arm‑triangle choke in the third round before going on to stop Shintaro Ishiwatari later that same night to win the tournament.
That backdrop is driving the fan frustration. In 2017, the matchup was part of a Rizin Grand Prix finale on one of Japanese MMA’s biggest stages; this time, the rematch is slotted into a studio‑style environment in Las Vegas with only a few hundred tickets available. The visual of going from a packed Saitama Super Arena walkout to the controlled, smaller Meta Apex setting has become a meme in itself on MMA social media.
Manel Kape vs Kyoji Horiguchi
The stakes are real. Horiguchi, now back on the UFC roster, has put together a 2‑0 run at flyweight since returning and has quickly climbed back into contention. Kape, 22‑7 as listed on recent promotional graphics, is coming off a surge that had him in line for a title opportunity before circumstances shifted the division and left him looking for a big-name fight instead.
Kape vs Horiguchi 2 will headline a UFC Fight Night card at the Meta Apex on June 20, and that the winner is being talked about as a likely next No. 1 contender once the Joshua Van vs Tatsuro Taira flyweight title picture at UFC 327 in April clears up. For many fans, that level of divisional importance is another argument for giving the fight a larger venue and a more charged atmosphere.
Fans have already been grumbling about the modern schedule: weaker Fight Night line‑ups and a steady stream of Apex shows that feel cut off from the live‑crowd energy that made the promotion’s boom years so popular. Dropping a rematch with this kind of history and divisional consequence into that setting has become an easy target for criticism, with posts on X calling for the UFC to “STOP THIS” and insisting that Kape vs Horiguchi 2 “deserves to be in an arena” rather than the Meta Apex.
