Brandon Royval and Manel Kape will square off in a potential title eliminator at UFC 317.
Brandon Royval vs. Manel Kape preview
After their main event booking for UFC Fight Night 253 fell apart due to a Royval (17-7 MMA, 7-3 UFC) injury, the fight now comes together again on the main card of UFC 317.
Kape (21-7 MMA, 6-3 UFC) remained in the headlining slot in March and faced replacement opponent Asu Almabayev. “Starboy” won the fight by third-round stoppage to record back-to-back wins. Kape has also won 6 of his last seven.
Since falling short in his title opportunity against flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 296, Royval rebounded with back-to-back split decision wins over former champion Brandon Moreno and Tatsuro Taira at UFC Fight Night 244.
Brandon Royval vs. Manel Kape odds
According to DraftKings, Kape is a larger favorite than the previous booking for UFC Fight Night 253. Kape is now a sizable -298 favorite, when he was just -198. Royval is now a +240 underdog, who was previously listed at +164 going into the March booking.
How to watch Brandon Royval vs. Manel Kape at UFC 317
- When: Saturday, June 28, 2025
- Where: T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas
- Broadcast/streaming: ESPN+