Brandon Royval Questions Why Manel Kape Title Eliminator is Set for UFC Apex

The winner of Royval vs. Kape should be in line for a shot at the UFC flyweight belt.

Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Brandon Royval isn’t thrilled with the location for what looks to be a UFC flyweight title eliminator fight with Manel Kape.

Royval Questions Apex Booking For Kape Fight

Currently the UFC’s #1-ranked flyweight contender, Royval is coming off back-to-back wins over two-time champion Brandon Moreno in February and the formerly-undefeated Tatsuro Taira in October.

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“Raw Dawg” challenged Alexandre Pantoja for the UFC flyweight belt at the end of 2023 but dropped a unanimous decision, which marked the second time that Royval had come up short against the Brazilian after he was also submitted in their first meeting back in 2021.

Dec 16, 2023; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Alexandre Pantoja (red gloves) fights Brandon Royval (blue gloves) during UFC 296 at T-Mobile Arena. / Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

The 32-year-old is now scheduled to meet #6-ranked Kape in what many fans assume will be a flyweight title eliminator on March 1, but Royval isn’t thrilled that such a massive fight is going to take place in front of only a handful of fans at the UFC Apex in Lax Vegas, NV.

Kape and I is a dope ass fight… we should make this happen in front of a audience pic.twitter.com/BNTE2lb73f

— Brandon (@brandonroyval) December 22, 2024

The UFC began holding regular events at the UFC Apex during the COVID-19 pandemic, but as of late fans have openly questioned why the facility remains such a fixture on the promotion’s schedule and UFC CEO Dana White has even admitted that he’d like to return to a more regular travel schedule in the near future.

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Dec 14, 2024; Tampa, Florida, UNITED STATES; Manel Kape (red gloves) fights Bruno Silva (blue gloves) at Amalie Arena. / Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

The matchup between Royval and Kape is certainly a worthy headliner for a UFC Fight Night card, and “Starboy” will be eager to spoil his opponent’s hopes of setting up a third meeting with Pantoja after he closed out 2024 with a dominant showing against Bruno Silva earlier this month.

Kape made his UFC debut against Pantoja in 2021 and dropped a unanimous decision, and after “The Cannibal” defended his flyweight belt for a third time at UFC 310 he used his time on the microphone to try and coax former flyweight king Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson out of retirement and back to the UFC.

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