Huge New Fight Added To International Fight Week Card– Report
INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 16: UFC CEO Dana White is seen on stage during the UFC 311 press … More
When Manel Kape defeated Asu Almabayev on March 1, he thought he did enough to earn another shot at Alexandre Pantoja and the UFC men’s flyweight title.
As it turns out, it appears he’s landed a tough title-eliminator fight with the No. 1 contender in the division, Brandon Royval.
According to Brazilian MMA content creator, Laerte Viana, the fight is locked in for International Fight Week on June 28 in Las Vegas.
Will the Winner of Royval vs. Kape Get an Automatic Title Shot?
The winner of Royval-Kape should be lined up for a title shot, unless Pantoja faces Kai Kara France and loses. Pantoja and Kara France could fight at UFC 317 or perhaps at UFC 318, which could happen in Brazil. The location for that event hasn’t been announced, but the promotion is due for a visit to the country.
If Pantoja wins, it seems obvious he should fight the winner of Royval-Kape. However, he could also vacate the title and move up to bantamweight to chase two-division title status. If Kara France wins, Pantoja could get an immediate rematch.
With the flyweight title picture potentially hinging on two separate outcomes, Royval and Kape could have additional importance.
What Fights Have Been Added to the UFC 317 Card?
The only other fights that have been added to the UFC 317 card are Paulo Costa vs. Roman Kopylov and Michael Johnson vs. Daniel Zellhuber. Expect to see at least eight more fights added to the event.
Costa’s inclusion adds name value to the lineup, and Johnson-Zellhuber brings an interesting striker-vs-striker dynamic. But the best fight for now is this flyweight bout. We know that won’t be the case once the card is finalized. It’s not a title fight and the UFC would never have a flyweight fight as the main event of one of its most celebrated annual dates.
Where Will Royval vs. Kape Fall on the UFC 317 Card?
Expect Royval-Kape to open the main card, or to perhaps be the featured prelim fight.
With Costa-Kopylov likely to slot in early on the main card, this flyweight scrap could act as the PPV’s opening statement. Both fighters are high-volume, high-energy, and highly motivated. Kape hasn’t always delivered a level of excitement in his fights that has matched his trash talk, but Royval is all business, so the two men could have an interesting, high-skiled and high-stakes fight.
Up Next – UFC Vegas 105
Next on the UFC’s schedule is Saturday’s return to the Apex in Las Vegas. UFC Vegas 105 is a solid card as Apex shows go.
Here is a look at the entire card.
- Josh Emmett vs. Lerone Murphy – Featherweight
- Joanderson Brito vs. Pat Sabatini – Featherweight
- Cortavious Romious vs. Chang Ho Lee – Bantamweight
- Uran Satybaldiev vs. Martin Buday – Heavyweight
- Gerald Meerschaert vs. Brad Tavares – Middleweight
- Robert Valentin vs. Torrez Finney – Middleweight
- Luis Gurule vs. Ode Osbourne – Flyweight
- Davey Grant vs. Daniel Santos – Bantamweight
- Dione Barbosa vs. Diana Belbiţă – Flyweight
- Rhys McKee vs. Daniel Frunza – Welterweight
- Victor Henry vs. Pedro Falcão – Bantamweight
- Vanessa Demopoulos vs. Talita Alencar – Strawweight
- Loma Lookboonmee vs. Istela Nunes – Strawweight
Be on the lookout for post-event coverage.