Tag: Brandon Royval

Spinning Back Clique REPLAY: UFC 314 preview, Merab Dvalishvili vs. Sean O’Malley 2, PFL review, more

On the latest episode of “Spinning Back Clique,” the panel previews UFC 314, reacts to Merab Dvalishvili vs. Sean O’Malley 2, and more.

Check out this week’s “Spinning Back Clique,” MMA Junkie’s weekly live show that takes a spin through the biggest topics in mixed martial arts.

This week’s panel of Brian “Goze” Garcia, Dan Tom and Danny Segura will join host “Gorgeous” George Garcia live at noon ET (9 a.m. PT) to discuss and debate the following topics:

  • UFC on ESPN 65 was host of a big win at 145 pounds. In the main event, [autotag]Lerone Murphy[/autotag] defeated [autotag]Josh Emmett[/autotag] in a unanimous decision. We discuss Murphy’s big win, where he goes next, plus other key bouts from the Las Vegas card.
  • The PFL hosted its first event of the season in Olando, Fla. We review and dissect 2025 PFL World Tournament 1, and the new changes the promotion implemented starting this year. We also discuss the results from the card, including [autotag]Jason Jackson[/autotag]’s nasty submission win over [autotag]Andrey Koreshkov[/autotag]
  • There were some big fight bookings announced this past week. For starters, UFC CEO Dana White announced the two title fights that will be headlining UFC 316 – [autotag]Merab Dvalishvili[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] 2, and [autotag]Julianna Peña[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Kayla Harrison[/autotag]. Additionally, [autotag]Ian Machado Garry[/autotag] returns to fight [autotag]Carlos Prates[/autotag], and flyweight contenders [autotag]Manel Kape[/autotag] and [autotag]Brandon Royval[/autotag] ink another contract to fight each other. We break down and give early predictions for these big bookings.
  • Lastly, we end the show with a preview for Saturday’s UFC 314. This stacked pay-per-view, which goes down in Miami, hosts a title fight for the vacant featherweight belt between [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag] and [autotag]Diego Lopes[/autotag]. Also, UFC star [autotag]Paddy Pimblett [/autotag] takes a giant step in his career when he faces former Bellator champion [autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag] in the co-main event. We preview these bouts, plus many other key fights on the card.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=420030788]

Manel Kape vs. Brandon Royval booked for UFC 317

A flyweight matchup between top contenders Manel Kape and Brandon Royval has been booked for UFC 317 on June 28.

There’s movement at the top of the UFC flyweight division.

Title contenders [autotag]Manel Kape[/autotag] and [autotag]Brandon Royval[/autotag] have been booked to meet at UFC 317 on June 28 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. MMA Junkie confirmed the news with two sources following a first report by Laerte Viana.

This isn’t the first time Kape (21-7 MMA, 7-3 UFC) and Royval (17-7 MMA, 7-3 UFC) have signed a contract to fight each other. The two were initially set to meet at UFC Fight Night 253 on March 1, but Royval withdrew from the matchup due to a couple of concussions he suffered in training.

Kape stayed on the card, and ended up fighting and stopping replacement Asu Almabayev in the main event. Kape is on a two-fight winning streak since his odd defeat to Muhammad Mokaev. He’s 6-1 in his past seven UFC outings.

Royval hasn’t competed since October, when he defeated top prospect Tatsuro Taira in an exciting and competitive split decision. Prior to that, “Raw Dog” had picked up arguably the biggest win of his career, outpointing former champion Brandon Moreno in Mexico.

At the time of writing, there at no other fights currently confirmed for UFC 317.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=420030788]

UFC Fight Night 253 main event canceled: Brandon Royval withdraws from Manel Kape fight

UFC Fight Night 253 is in need of a new headliner less than a month away.

UFC Fight Night 253 needs a new main event.

The highly anticipated flyweight battle between [autotag]Brandon Royval[/autotag] and [autotag]Manel Kape[/autotag] will no longer take place March 1 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Royval (17-7 MMA, 7-3 UFC) announced Wednesday his withdrawal from the five-round bout vs. Kape (20-7 MMA, 6-3 UFC) due to injury. Royval did not go into further detail but said he would explain more in the coming days.

“Unfortunately I’m going to have to pull out of my fight, I’m sorry to Manel Kape and my fans,” Royval wrote on Instragram. “I’m facing an injury that has me questioning when I’ll be able to train again. This is absolutely a fight I think needs to happen for the flyweight division but as of right now competing month has been ill advised. Love y’all and I apologize from the bottom of my heart. I’ll have more details on my YouTube this week.”

The fight between Royval and Kape was considered by many to be a title eliminator, with both men aiming to build momentum and earn their crack at champ Alexandre Pantoja.

It’s unclear if the promotion will find a new opponent for Kape or if he will be moved to a later date.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DFswck8u70B/

With the cancellation, the UFC Fight Night 253 lineup includes:

  • Manel Kape vs. TBA
  • Cody Brundage vs. Julian Marquez
  • Hyder Amil vs. William Gomis
  • Nasrat Haqparast vs. Esteban Ribovics
  • Austen Lane vs. Mario Pinto
  • Asu Almabayev vs. Allan Nascimento
  • Luana Carolina vs. Montana De La Rosa
  • Danny Barlow vs. Sam Patterson
  • JJ Aldrich vs. Andrea Lee
  • Charles Johnson vs. Ramazan Temirov
  • John Castaneda vs. Douglas Silva de Andrade
  • Chepe Mariscal vs. Ricardo Ramos

Brandon Royval vs. Manel Kape: Odds and what to know ahead of UFC Fight Night 253 main event

Brandon Royval has opened up as an underdog at UFC Fight Night 253.

[autotag]Brandon Royval[/autotag] and [autotag]Manel Kape[/autotag] will square off in a potential title eliminator at UFC Fight Night 253.

Brandon Royval vs. Manel Kape preview

Since falling short in his title opportunity against flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 296, Royval (17-7 MMA, 7-3 UFC) rebounded with back-to-back wins over former champion Brandon Moreno, and most recently Tatsuro Taira at UFC Fight Night 244.

Meanwhile, Kape (20-7 MMA, 5-3 UFC) returned to the win column with a third-round TKO of Bruno Silva earlier this month at UFC on ESPN 63. He has won five of his past six.

Brandon Royval vs. Manel Kape odds

According to DraftKings, Kape is a moderate -198 favorite over Royval, who’s listed as a +164 underdog.

How to watch Brandon Royval vs. Manel Kape at UFC Fight Night 253

  • When: Saturday, March 1, 2025
  • Where: UFC Apex, Las Vegas
  • Broadcast/streaming: ESPN+

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 253.

Brandon Royval wonders why his ‘dope ass fight’ vs. Manel Kape is at the UFC Apex

Should we cue up Rodney Dangerfield and that classic line about “no respect”?

Should we cue up Rodney Dangerfield and that classic line about “no respect”?

[autotag]Brandon Royval[/autotag] signed on the dotted line for a flyweight headliner against [autotag]Manel Kape[/autotag] for March in Las Vegas. After the news went from rumor to confirmed main event, Royval wondered publicly about the venue.

Former title challenger Royval (17-7 MMA, 7-3 UFC) and Kape (20-7 MMA, 5-3 UFC) will headline the March 1 event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The bout likely will produced the next opponent for 125-pound champion Alexandre Pantoja, who at UFC 310 earlier this month took out challenger Kai Asakura.

But Royval wondered why the fight isn’t worth doing in front of a bigger crowd than the Apex.

“Kape and I is a dope ass fight,” Royval posted on social media. “We should make this happen in front of a audience.”

Royval has had four of his 10 fights in the promotion at the UFC Apex. For Kape, it’s been even more frequent of a home base with half of his eight UFC bouts at the facility in Las Vegas.

Royval lost his shot against Pantoja at UFC 296. But since then, he has bounced back with a February win over former champ Brandon Moreno by split decision, then a split call over Tatsuro Taira in an October Fight of the Night main event.

Kape just picked up a big third-round TKO finish of Bruno Silva at UFC on ESPN 63 in Tampa, Fla.

Kape called for a title shot after the win, which was his fifth in six fights after two losses to open his UFC tenure in 2021 – including one to Pantoja. The win over Silva came after a July loss to Muhammad Mokaev, who subsequently was bounced from the UFC, which kept the title door ajar for him and Royval.

In the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie flyweight rankings, Royval is the No. 2 flyweight. Kape has the No. 6 spot. Royval is the No. 1 contender in the UFC’s flyweight rankings. After his win over Silva, Kape moved up three spots to No. 6 behind Moreno, Amir Albazi, Kai Kara-France and Taira.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 253.

UFC Fight Night 253 gets Brandon Royval vs. Manel Kape flyweight contender main event

Flyweight title contenders Brandon Royval and Manel Kape will clash in a March main event in Las Vegas.

A new flyweight title contender will likely be determined in March at UFC Fight Night 253 when [autotag]Brandon Royval[/autotag] meets [autotag]Manel Kape[/autotag].

The flyweight bout between former title challenger Royval (17-7 MMA, 7-3 UFC) and Kape (20-7 MMA, 5-3 UFC) will headline the event on March 1 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. AG Fight was first to report the matchup, and both fighters have since publicly confirmed the booking on social media.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DD2ZkccP5qp/

Since coming up short against flyweight champ Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 296, Royval has bounced back nicely with two big wins. In February, Royval defeated former champ Brandon Moreno by split decision and followed up by halting the momentum of Tatsuro Taira in an October Fight of the Night main event.

Kape is coming off a third-round TKO finish of Bruno Silva at UFC on ESPN 63 in Tampa. His post-fight call for a title shot was not granted, but during a post-event news conference, UFC CEO Dana White hinted that he would be pleased with what they had in mind for him.

In the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie flyweight rankings, Royval holds the No. 2 spot, with Kape sitting at No. 6.

With the addition, the current UFC Fight Night 253 lineup includes:

  • Brandon Royval vs. Manel Kape
  • Luana Carolina vs. Montana De La Rosa
  • Lucas Almeida vs. Danny Silva
  • Hyder Amil vs. William Gomis
  • Cody Brundage vs. Ryan Loder
  • Danny Barlow vs. Sam Patterson

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 253.

Brandon Royval: Brandon Moreno’s win over Amir Albazi cleared way for my UFC title shot

Brandon Royval explains why he loves his position in the UFC flyweight title picture thanks to Brandon Moreno beating Amir Albazi.

It was in [autotag]Brandon Royval[/autotag]’s best interest for [autotag]Brandon Moreno[/autotag] to beat [autotag]Amir Albazi[/autotag].

Former champion Moreno (22-8-2 MMA, 10-5-2 UFC) returned in peak form when he battered a tough Albazi (17-2 MMA, 5-1 UFC) for five rounds in this past Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 246 main event in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

Considering that Royval’s past two wins have come against Moreno then formerly unbeaten Tatsuro Taira in a Fight of the Night effort, the 32-year-old thinks he just became the clear-cut No. 1 contender.

“I think the only thing that it cleared up completely was that I’m next for the title shot,” Royval told MMA Junkie. “I think that’s what it did. It just cleared the way for me and keep everything going. I thought he (Moreno) looked sick. I had such a good time watching him. I liked the look in his eye when he walked out. The moment he walked out, I was like, ‘All right, cool, this is what I want to see: a pissed-off Brandon Moreno ready to go.’

“And he fought with a f*cking attitude and chip on his shoulder, and I loved that. I really, in my head, just think the flyweight division – I feel we get a lot of criticism of because the top three, top four guys are just clearing out everybody and just kind of staying in the top three, top four, but I feel like the flyweight division has been more exciting than it’s ever been.”

Royval (17-7 MMA, 7-3 UFC) won’t immediately get his wish. He has to wait for flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja to defend his title against ex-RIZIN champion Kai Asakura on Dec. 7 at UFC 310 – but he expects to face the winner.

“If they’re not going to bring anybody in, and it’s between me, Moreno and Kai Kara-France, it’s definitely me,” Royval said. “I feel like that’s the only thing that makes sense. Moreno and Kai Kara-France have some sick wins against some sick opponents, and they did a great job. But that being said, I have a win over both those guys, and I think if it’s between us three, it’s me.”

Royval has no issue with newcomer Asakura getting a title shot in his UFC debut. In fact, after fighting both Moreno and Pantoja twice, he could use a new face.

“I’m a fan of it,” Royval said on Asakura’s addition. “I want fresh blood, too. We’re talking about three rematches as a possibility. Like, I could fight Kai Kara-France next, Brandon Moreno, and Pantoja next, and the only one I’m ready to go do is fight Pantoja next. If Kai Asakura wins that belt, I think that’s going to be one of the better fights of the year. Me and Kai Asakura are both guys who bring fights.”

[lawrence-related id=2777795,2778412,2777798]

If not a title shot next, Brandon Royval would love to welcome Henry Cejudo back to flyweight

Brandon Royval is willing to fight Henry Cejudo if he drops back down to flyweight.

[autotag]Brandon Royval[/autotag] is willing to fight [autotag]Henry Cejudo[/autotag] if he drops back down to flyweight.

Royval (17-7 MMA, 7-3 UFC) re-entered the title picture when he handed Tatsuro Taira (16-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) his first-career loss less than two weeks ago in the UFC Fight Night 244 main event.

Royval, who’s coming off back-to-back wins over former champion Brandon Moreno and Taira, is eyeing a title shot next. But if he doesn’t get his wish, he’s happy to face former UFC dual-champion Cejudo (16-4 MMA, 10-4 UFC), who said he plans on returning to 125 pounds in his next fight.

“I really don’t feel like (Cejudo) does, but I like the idea,” Royval told Middle Easy. “If they’re not giving me a title shot, I’d love to be the one that meets him. I would love to be welcoming him back to 125. Every time I’ve seen him, he looked a little big, man. I don’t know if he’s making weight at 125 anymore, and I know he struggled before.

“I feel like I’m one of the fastest in the division and he didn’t look that fast to me the last time he fought. So I’d love to beat him at 125. I would definitely be worried about the takedown, but man, there’s a big reach and height advantage coming my way, and I think I could just walk him right into a knee – vicious.”

Royval has won five of his past six, with his lone loss in that stretch coming in a title setback to UFC flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 296 this past December.

[lawrence-related id=2778450,2777795,2777798]

USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings, Oct. 15: Brandon Royval climbs at flyweight

Check out the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings following UFC Fight Night 244 in Las Vegas.

UFC Fight Night 244 took place last weekend in Las Vegas, producing an update in the men’s flyweight rankings.

In the main event at the UFC Apex, [autotag]Brandon Royval[/autotag] handed [autotag]Tatsuro Taira[/autotag] his first career loss in a thrilling 25-minute bout.

Royval entered the contest at No. 3 in the men’s flyweight division. After winning, he gets one spot closer to the top, swapping positions with No. 2 Amir Albazi.

Check out all the latest pound-for-pound and divisional USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings.

Video: Did Brandon Royval secure another UFC title shot? How much did Tatsuro Taira’s stock drop?

What’s next for Brandon Royval and Tatsuro Taira following their wild fight at UFC Fight Night 244? We discuss on “Spinning Back Clique.”

[autotag]Brandon Royval[/autotag] and [autotag]Tatsuro Taira[/autotag] gave MMA fans one of the best fights, if not the best fight, of 2024.

The two flyweights went back and forth in the main event of Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 244 in Las Vegas. With many momentum swings, Royval (17-7 MMA, 7-3 UFC) ended up getting the better of Taira (16-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) over the course of 25 minutes, winning a split decision.

Now 2-0 since fighting for the UFC flyweight title, has Royval done enough to secure another crack at the belt? How much does Taira’s stock drop after his first professional defeat?

MMA Junkie’s Brian “Goze” Garcia, Matthew Wells, Danny Segura, and host Gorgeous George discuss what’s next for Royval and Taira following their Fight of the Night bout at UFC Fight Night 244.

Watch their discussion in the video above, and don’t miss this week’s complete episode of “Spinning Back Clique” below on YouTube.

https://youtube.com/live/hQw_JxC0qM8

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=420030788]

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 244.