Brandon Royval vs. Manel Kape targeted for UFC Fight Night main event on March 1

Brandon Royval and Manel Kape are targeted for a potential No. 1 contender’s bout as the main event for an upcoming UFC Fight Night card scheduled on March 1 at UFC APEX in Las Vegas.

Multiple people with knowledge of the promotion’s plans confirmed the fight was in the works when speaking to MMA Fighting, although no contracts have been issued or signed. Ag. Fight initially reported the bout.

Royval also posted about the fight on social media while addressing his hopes to earn another title shot after already facing reigning champion Alexandre Pantoja on two separate occasions.

“At the end of the day, I got the toughest résumé since I signed to the UFC,” Royval wrote. “Y’all going to learn to put some respect on my name. Only top 10 fighters. 4th main event in a row.”

Since falling to Pantoja in 2023, Royval has rattled off two impressive wins in a row with hard fought decision victories over former champion Brandon Moreno and then beating previously undefeated prospect Tatsuro Taira.

Meanwhile, Kape also addressed the fight on social media without mentioning Royval by name.

“He has to be quiet, he won’t fight for the belt,” Kape wrote in response to Royval initially calling for an immediate title shot. “It will be with me, he will do what we are telling him to do. March 1 main event.”

Following a disappointing outing against Muhammad Mokaev back in July, Kape put on a dazzling display beating Bruno Silva by third-round stoppage at the UFC Tampa event that closed out 2024. Overall, Kape is 5-1 in his past six fights with hopes that one more win could finally earn him a shot at UFC gold.