Former RIZIN FF champ, Manel Kape booked for UFC debut in December against Alexandre Pantoja

Manel Kape will finally make the walk to the Octagon.

Kape, the former RIZIN FF bantamweight champion was one of the marquee signings earlier this year. He was a highly-touted prospect and was supposed to make his UFC debut at UFC 252 against Rogerio Bontorin, but Bontorin was forced to withdraw due to injury.

Since then, many have wondered when Kape would make his debut and according to MMAJunkie, Kape will meet perennial contender, Alexandre Pantoja.

Manel Kape is coming off a very impressive knockout win over Kai Asakura to win the RIZIN FF bantamweight title in a rematch where Kape lost by decision. The 26-year-old is currently on a three-fight winning streak and is 15-4 as a pro. In his career, he has a notable win over Ian McCall.

Alexandre Pantoja, meanwhile, is coming off a hard-fought decision loss to Askar Askarov in July. He was also serving as the backup fighter to the title fight between Deiveson Figueiredo and Joseph Benavidez 2. The Brazilian is now 1-2 in his last three with a win over Matt Schnell by KO and a loss to Figueiredo. Pantoja is a perennial contender and is currently ranked fifth in the division. He also holds notable wins over Brandon Moreno, Wilson Reis, and Ulka Sasaki.

This is a very intriguing matchup and the UFC is throwing Kape to the wolves right away and if the Portuguese native can get his hand raised, he’d immediately be in title contention at flyweight.

The Dec. 19 event goes down in Las Vegas, Nevada at the UFC Apex. The event will be headlined by a welterweight bout between Leon Edwards and Khamzat Chimaev.

The Dec. 19 event is now as follows: