Brandon Royval vs. Manel Kape Targeted for UFC Main Event on March 1

Brandon Royval has a little more work to do if he wants to get another shot at flyweight gold.

According to an initial report from Ag.Fight, Royval will face former Rizin bantamweight champion Manel Kape in the main event of UFC Fight Night 253 on March 1. Royval and multiple outlets have since confirmed the booking. The event is expected to take place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

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

Royval has won five of his last six UFC appearances. His lone defeat during that stretch came when he challenged Alexandre Pantoja for the flyweight belt and dropped a unanimous decision at UFC 296. “Raw Dawg” has since rebounded to post back-to-back triumphs over Brandon Moreno and Tatsuro Taira in headlining bouts.

Kape is also 5-1 in his last six promotional outings. He is coming off a third-round TKO win over Bruno Silva at UFC Tampa on Dec. 14 — arguably his most impressive Octagon performance to date. Kape seemingly addressed the pairing in his own social media post.

“He has to be quiet, he won’t fight for the belt,” Kape wrote on X. “It will be with me, he will do what we are telling him to do. March 1 main event.”

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