Levan Chokheli Stops Leon Shahbazyan in 23-Second TKO at UFC Vegas 119

Q: After nine years, did Manel Kape finally avenge his submission loss to rival Kyoji Horiguchi?

No. Based on the material provided, there is no reported result showing that Manel Kape avenged his earlier submission loss to Kyoji Horiguchi. The news story identifies Kape vs. Horiguchi as the UFC Fight Night 279 main event and explains the backstory: Horiguchi submitted Kape with an arm-triangle choke in their 2017 RIZIN meeting, making this a long-awaited rematch roughly nine years later. Kape openly framed the bout as a revenge opportunity and a likely title eliminator at flyweight. But the coverage supplied here only includes event setup, weigh-ins, betting context, and results from several preliminary-card fights. It does not include an official outcome for the main event. The additional sourced content also says the rematch was scheduled or live, yet provides no final result. So the most accurate answer is that Kape had not, at least in the provided reporting, been shown to have avenged the loss. The available information stops short of confirming whether he beat Horiguchi in the rematch.

Q: Which decisive preliminary card victory most signals the arrival of a new contender in their division?

Levan Chokheli’s 23-second TKO of Leon Shahbazyan most clearly signaled the arrival of a new contender. Among the preliminary winners, Chokheli delivered the most emphatic statement. He stopped Shahbazyan almost immediately in his UFC debut, turning a welterweight matchup into a showcase of one-shot power. That kind of finish matters in a crowded division, especially when it comes from a newcomer making his first appearance on the promotion’s stage. The broader context strengthens the case. Chokheli entered with a 15-3 record, prior Bellator experience, and a reputation as a dangerous finisher, with 11 knockout wins. The pre-fight scouting already framed him as more seasoned than a typical debutant, and his instant stoppage backed that up in the clearest possible way. Luana Santos was highly impressive in dominating Karol Rosa over three rounds, and that win may have stronger immediate ranking implications because Rosa was an established UFC name. But Santos was already 5-1 in the UFC, so her victory looked more like confirmation of an existing rise than a sudden arrival. Shane Collins also had a strong debut, staying unbeaten and sweeping the scorecards against Otari Tanzilovi. Still, a unanimous decision, even a clean one, did not create the same immediate impact as Chokheli’s explosive finish. On this card, Chokheli produced the result that most forcefully announced a new divisional threat.

3 articles · Updated · MMA Fighting · Jun 20

Levan Chokheli needed just 0:23 of Round 1 to stop Leon Shahbazyan by TKO in a UFC Vegas 119 preliminary bout at the Meta APEX in Las Vegas.
The finish came on the undercard of Saturday’s Kape vs. Horiguchi 2 event, making Chokheli one of the card’s quickest winners before the main-card bouts began.
The result follows the same official outcome reported earlier from the event—Chokheli by first-round TKO—and reinforces a dominant UFC debut showing for the welterweight.