Manel Kape still wants Kai Kara-France fight: 'All this talk is not for nothing'

Manel Kape says he needs to settle his differences with Kai Kara-France.

Kape (19-6 MMA, 4-2 UFC) was booked to face Kara-France earlier this month at UFC 293 in Sydney, but Kara-France was forced out due to concussion symptoms. Kape faced newcomer Felipe Dos Santos instead, winning the bout by unanimous decision.

Kape hinted that a rebooking between him and Kara-France (24-11 MMA, 7-4 UFC) is in the works, but claims that the former interim title challenger isn’t signing the contract.

“All this talk is not for nothing,” Kape told MMA Junkie Radio. “We have to fight. I know he doesn’t want to fight because I’m still waiting two weeks for him to sign the contract – but still, no response. It’s going to be a good fight. Looking at the bigger picture, it’s a fight people right now want to see.

“All this talk, they want to see a big pay-per-view, and I think it’s going to be good business. He has to fight, but if he denies, we have Brandon Moreno. I don’t know if he’s scheduled with someone else, but we have Brandon Moreno out there.”

After beating Dos Santos, Kape used his mic time to callout Kara-France, accusing him of ducking him. Kara-France, who was in attendance, stood up and responded with his signature tongue thrust.

But Kape sensed fear in his reaction.

“I see his body language after my interview post-fight,” Kape said. “I see his body language and it was not the same. He just showed his ugly tongue, to show a fake something he does all the time. But after he showed the tongue, you could see his body language.

“If he really wanted to fight, he would have stepped in the cage. … If it was me and someone approached me like that, I don’t know what’s going to happen. I will step in the cage and I will murder this guy there. We’re going to fight in the same night. So he showed that he really doesn’t want to fight.”