Elite flyweights are set to trade leather at UFC
317.
Manel
Kape (21-7) and Brandon
Royval (17-7) are slated to fight at UFC 317 on June 28 at the
T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Multiple outlets confirmed the booking
following an initial report from Laerte Viana. Kape and Royval were
initially scheduled to meet on March 1 before Royval withdrew
due to multiple concussions.
Kape has finished 18 of his 21 pro wins so far. “Starboy” is 6-3 in
the UFC, though all of his losses came against elite competition.
The Angolan is coming off consecutive finishes over Bruno Silva
and Asu
Almabayev that saw him rebound from a loss against Muhammad
Mokaev.
Meanwhile, Royval is 7-3 in the UFC and has only lost to former
champ Brandon
Royval and reigning champ Alexandre
Pantoja. “Raw Dawg” dropped a title bid against Pantoja at UFC
296 in 2023 and has since rebounded with back-to-back split
decision wins over Moreno and Tatsuro
Taira.