UFC Fight Night 253 gets Brandon Royval vs. Manel Kape flyweight contender main event
A new flyweight title contender will likely be determined in March at UFC Fight Night 253 when Brandon Royval meets Manel Kape.
The flyweight bout between former title challenger Royval (17-7 MMA, 7-3 UFC) and Kape (20-7 MMA, 5-3 UFC) will headline the event on March 1 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. AG Fight was first to report the matchup, and both fighters have since publicly confirmed the booking on social media.
Since coming up short against flyweight champ Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 296, Royval has bounced back nicely with two big wins. In February, Royval defeated former champ Brandon Moreno by split decision and followed up by halting the momentum of Tatsuro Taira in an October Fight of the Night main event.
He has to be quiet, he won’t fight for the belt. It will be with me, he will do what we are telling him to do.
March 1 Main event https://t.co/rXOMB8awJG— マネル・ケイプ موسى Manel Kape (@ManelKape) December 21, 2024
Kape is coming off a third-round TKO finish of Bruno Silva at UFC on ESPN 63 in Tampa. His post-fight call for a title shot was not granted, but during a post-event news conference, UFC CEO Dana White hinted that he would be pleased with what they had in mind for him.
In the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie flyweight rankings, Royval holds the No. 2 spot, with Kape sitting at No. 6.
With the addition, the current UFC Fight Night 253 lineup includes:
- Brandon Royval vs. Manel Kape
- Luana Carolina vs. Montana De La Rosa
- Lucas Almeida vs. Danny Silva
- Hyder Amil vs. William Gomis
- Cody Brundage vs. Ryan Loder
- Danny Barlow vs. Sam Patterson
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 253.