Tag: Manel Kape

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.

Video: Does Manel Kape deserve UFC flyweight title shot vs. Alexandre Pantoja?

Manel Kape looked impressive at UFC on ESPN 63. We discuss if that was enough on the latest episode of Spinning Back Clique.

[autotag]Manel Kape[/autotag] sure put on a show at UFC on ESPN 63, but was it enough to get him what he asked for?

The former Rizin FF champion and current UFC flyweight contender dismantled Bruno Silva last Saturday, styling on him and picking him apart with strikes. Kape (20-7 MMA, 5-3 UFC) ended up getting his hand raised after stopping the Brazilian in the third round. Immediately after the victory, Kape asked for a shot at UFC flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja in a fiery callout.

So, is Kape deserving of the opportunity? Has he done enough to surpass fellow contender Brandon Royval?

MMA Junkie’s Brian “Goze” Garcia, Mike Bohn, Danny Segura and host “Gorgeous” George discuss Kape’s big win, as well as other results from the card.

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/QvKtS8RXBbs

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USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings, Dec. 17: Joaquin Buckley, Manel Kape soar

Check out the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings following UFC on ESPN 63 including movement from Joaquin Buckley and Manel Kape.

UFC on ESPN 63 took place Saturday in Tampa, Fla. and resulted in all sorts of movement in the USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings.

Most notably, main event victor [autotag]Joaquin Buckley[/autotag] (21-6 MMA, 11-4 UFC) traded places in the welterweight rankings with the man he stopped on a cut, multitime UFC title challenger Colby Covington (17-5 MMA, 12-5 UFC). Buckley slides to Nov. 5 while Covington falls to No. 10.

Additionally, a big win for [autotag]Manel Kape[/autotag] (20-7 MMA, 6-3 UFC) results in him bumping up into the No. 6 position in the flyweight rankings. That’s for a TKO win over Bruno Silva (14-6-2 MMA, 4-3 UFC).

Wins from [autotag]Daniel Marcos[/autotag], [autotag]Miranda Maverick[/autotag], and Invicta FC’s [autotag]Jennifer Maia[/autotag] also had impact in the rankings.

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

Manel Kape might have to ring Dana White’s doorbell after UFC Tampa

After one of the most impressive wins of his UFC tenure, Manel Kape has some requests.

TAMPA, Fla. – After one of the most impressive wins of his UFC tenure, [autotag]Manel Kape[/autotag] has some requests.

Whether or not he’ll see them come to fruition will be another thing entirely, but you know what they say about stranger things …

Kape (20-7 MMA, 5-3 UFC) on Saturday turned the lights out on Bruno Silva (14-6-2 MMA, 4-3 UFC) in the third round of their flyweight fight on the UFC on ESPN 63 main card at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Fla.

The win was Kape’s fifth in six fights, and afterward he said UFC CEO Dana White needs to step up when it comes to putting his career into high gear. He wants a shot at flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja, and it’s not just shooting for the stars.

“That’s the truth: (I want to fight the champion),” Kape said at his post-fight news conference. “I know they want to put me to fight somebody else before my time, but it can’t be. I’m tired of this bullsh*t of Kai Kara-France. We’ve been booked two times. He didn’t show up to the first time, and then the second time he didn’t show up again when we were talking and he said he was not ready to fight. Blah blah blah, going to have a son or whatever. I have a daughter, and sometimes I don’t see her all day. … I’ve been doing my things, too. We all have family. We’re all going through things.

“I’m not going to wait for anybody. I’m here a long time in UFC. I’m 31 years old. I’m not going to be 31 forever, so it’s my time to get at the title shot.”

The bad news for Kape is, White said it’s not likely he’ll be next in line for Pantoja, who is coming off a knockout win over Kai Asakura at UFC 310. Pantoja has a unanimous decision win over Kape in early 2021 in what was Kape’s promotional debut.

Before he came to the UFC, Kape was Rizin’s flyweight champion. In that promotion, he was 1-1 against Asakura.

At the very least, Kape wants to get White on the record about things, and if he plays hard to get, he’s not against taking some extra measures.

“Me and Dana are neighbors. We live 10 minutes away from each other,” Kape said.
If I don’t get the conversation, I’m going to his home. I’m going to knock on his door. We live in Summerlin in Vegas, so it’s easy – I’ll catch him.”

Kape’s knockout of Silva was a bounce-back after a decision loss to Muhammad Mokaev in July. Prior to that, Kape was on a five-fight run – though for one of those wins, he missed weight, and he also had to be pulled from a fight with Matheus Nicolau in January when he had a botched weight cut.

Check out Kape’s full post-fight interview above.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 63.

UFC on ESPN 63 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: 2024 total tops $8.2 million

With 2024 a wrap for the UFC, see a breakdown of how much money was paid under the Promotional Guidelines Compliance program.

Fighters from Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 63 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $208,500.

The program, a comprehensive plan that includes outfitting requirements, media obligations and other items under the fighter code of conduct, replaces the previous payments made under the UFC Athlete Outfitting Policy.

UFC on ESPN 63 took place at the Amalie Arena in Tampa, Fla. The card aired on ESPN2 and streamed on ESPN+.

The full UFC on ESPN 63 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Joaquin Buckley[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Colby Covington[/autotag]: $16,000

[autotag]Cub Swanson[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Billy Quarantillo[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Manel Kape[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Bruno Silva[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Dustin Jacoby[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Vitor Petrino[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Daniel Marcos[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Adrian Yanez[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Navajo Stirling[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Tuco Tokkos[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Michael Johnson[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Ottman Azaitar[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Joel Alvarez[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Drakkar Klose[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Sean Woodson[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Fernando Padilla[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Felipe Lima[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Miles Johns[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Miranda Maverick[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Jamey-Lyn Horth[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Davey Grant[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Ramon Taveras[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Piera Rodriguez[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Josefine Knutsson[/autotag]: $4,000

Under the UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance program’s payout tiers, which appropriate the money generated by Venum’s multi-year sponsorship with the UFC, fighters are paid based on their total number of UFC bouts, as well as Zuffa-era WEC fights (January 2007 and later) and Zuffa-era Strikeforce bouts (April 2011 and later). Fighters with 1-3 bouts receive $4,000 per appearance; 4-5 bouts get $4,630; 6-10 bouts get $6,000; 11-15 bouts earn $11,000; 16-20 bouts pocket $16,000; and 21 bouts and more get $21,000. Additionally, champions earn $32,000 while title challengers get $42,000.

In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-63 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.

Full 2024 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $8,280,500
2023 total: $8,188,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $31,017,500

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 63.

UFC Tampa video: Manel Kape pleads with Dana White for title shot after overcoming 3 low blows to win

Manel Kape had UFC CEO Dana White smiling after a TKO at UFC on ESPN 63 that he said makes him “the next pay-per-view star at flyweight.”

[autotag]Manel Kape[/autotag] took three low blows from [autotag]Bruno Silva[/autotag] at UFC on ESPN 63 but battled on and managed to get a stoppage win that caught Dana White’s attention.

Kape (20-7 MMA, 5-3 UFC) battered the streaking Silva (14-6-2 MMA, 4-3 UFC) from early on in the flyweight bout at Amalie Arena. He pushed forward through the multiple groin strikes, and before the third round, was talking to UFC CEO White about how he should be next for champion Alexandre Pantoja.

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Then Kape came out in the third and put it on Silva, eventually landing a big combination that sent his foe crumpling to the canvas for the TKO at the 1:56 mark of Round 3 (via X):

Moments after the finish, Kape went back over to White and told him through the cage “I’ve never asked for anything” during his UFC career, but he wants this shot at gold. White said he would meet him backstage to discuss what’s next after the big win.

“I’m the next against Pantoja,” Kape said in his post-fight interview with Michael Bisping. “There are levels to do this shit, and I am the one that’s going to destroy Pantoja. So, Dana, put me to fight against Pantoja because I am the next pay-per-view star at flyweight. No one can be like me. No one can dress like me. I am terrific. I am the best.”

Up-to-the-minute UFC on ESPN 63 results include:

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 63.

UFC on ESPN 63: Manel Kape vs. Bruno Silva odds, picks and predictions

Analyzing Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 63 odds between Manel Kape vs. Bruno Silva, with MMA picks and predictions.

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In a 3-round flyweight bout on the main card, Manel Kape and Bruno Silva battle Saturday at UFC on ESPN 63 at Amalie Arena in Tampa. Let’s analyze FanDuel Sportsbook’s UFC odds around the UFC on ESPN 63: Kape vs. Silva odds, and make our expert picks and predictions.

The prelims begin at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN2/ESPN+. The main card begins at 10 p.m. ET, also on ESPN2/ESPN+.

Records: Kape (19-7-0) | Silva (14-5-2)

Kape is looking to rebound after a unanimous-decision loss against Muhammad Mokaev in late July at UFC 304. He has ended up going the distance in each of his past 3 fights.

The last time the Portuguese fighter was able to get a finish was a first-round KO/TKO against Zhalgas Zhumagalov Dec. 4, 2021, and he also had a first-round KO/TKO against Ode’ Osbourne at UFC 265 prior to that.

For Silva, he has 4 consecutive victories, all via finish, and he has not lost since a unanimous-decision loss to Tagir Ulanbekov in Oct. 2020.

The southpaw Kape has a 3-inch reach advantage against Silva, and he has a 4.44-to-3.32 significant strikes landed per minute advantage. The 2 fighters are nearly identical in significant strikes accuracy percentage. Silva has a 2.26 takedown average, and Kape has a slight 0.36-to-0.23 submission average advantage.

Watch this card with ESPN+ by signing up here.

UFC on ESPN 63: Kape vs. Silva odds

Provided by FanDuel Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list UFC odds. Lines last updated at 3:40 p.m. ET.

  • Fight result (2-way line): Kape -390 (bet $390 to win $100) | Silva +310 (bet $100 to win $310)
  • Total Rounds: 2.5 Rounds (Over: -196 | Under: +152)
  • Will the fight go the distance? (Yes -158 | No +124)

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UFC on ESPN 63: Kape vs. Silva picks and predictions

Fight result (2-way line or moneyline)

Kape (-390) will cost you more than 3½ times your potential return, and that’s way too much risk for not enough reward. Let’s get a little more specific.

Kape is a punching machine, but Silva (+310) has the ability to hang around. He has decent defense, and Kape will be working to use his reach advantage to keep Silva at a distance to try and avoid the Brazilian fighter getting him to the mat.

Kape knows what to do to wow the judges. Bet KAPE BY POINTS (+105) at near even-money on method of victory.

Over/Under (O/U)

YES (-158): WILL THE FIGHT GO THE DISTANCE? is a little on the expensive side, but it isn’t totally priced out of line.

Again, Kape has ended up going the distance in each of his past 3 bouts. Silva hasn’t made it to Round 3 in the past 4 fights, but this is a big step up in competition.

Over 2.5 Rounds (-196) is a little too expensive, costing you almost 2 times your potential return. Avoid that, and look to the distance prop instead.

Visit MMA Junkie for more fight news and analysis.

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For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.

Follow Kevin J. Erickson on Twitter/X. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter/X and us on Facebook.

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