Manel Kape has withdrawn from his scheduled bout against Brandon Royval at UFC 317 due to unspecified reasons. Following Kape`s departure, rising prospect Joshua Van has agreed to step in on short notice to face Royval at the event. The fight is part of International Fight Week and is scheduled for June 28th at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Royval first shared the news regarding the opponent change on social media Monday. The report was later corroborated by multiple sources. Van himself also later confirmed the updated matchup via social media.
Commenting on the situation, Royval stated:
“Manel Kape is out, Joshua Van is stepping in. I have zero idea of the extent of Manel Kape’s injuries but I do know I have the hottest prospect and probably the most exciting UFC flyweight in front of me. Really nothing changes for me as far as what’s in front of me. I’ve got a gangster that’s ready to take my head off and earn his name off of me.”
Van recently competed just last weekend at UFC 316, securing a decisive finish against Bruno Silva. This victory extended his overall winning streak to four fights. The 23-year-old is widely regarded as a top flyweight prospect, and this fight represents a significant increase in competition as he takes on the highly-ranked Royval.
Royval, a former flyweight title challenger, remains a prominent contender near the top of the division rankings. He holds a 2-0 record in his last two appearances, including a significant win over former champion Brandon Moreno. His most recent fight in October against Tatsuro Taira was a thrilling back-and-forth battle that earned Fight of the Night honors.
The UFC 317 card is headlined by two championship contests: Ilia Topuria moving up to challenge Charles Oliveira for the vacant lightweight title, and flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja defending his belt against Kai Kara-France.
Marcus Blakely