TAMPA, FLORIDA – DECEMBER 14: Manel Kape of Angola taunts opponent Bruno Silva of Brazil in a … [+]
The UFC will be at the Apex on Saturday, March 1, for the UFC Vegas 103 fight card. The event, which takes place at the UFC Apex, recently picked up its main event, a flyweight matchup between Brandon Royval and Manel Kape. We look at the opening odds for the Royval vs. Kape bout.
UFC Vegas 103: Brandon Royval
Brandon Royval (17-7) is a former LFA flyweight champion. The 32-year-old has also fought for the UFC flyweight title, losing to Alexandre Pantoja via unanimous decision in December 2023. Royval is currently the No. 1 fighter in the official UFC flyweight rankings.
Royval joined the UFC in May 2020. In his first fight with the promotion, he scored a “Fight of the Night” submission win over Tim Elliott. He followed that victory with a September 2020 “Fight of the Night” win over Kai Kara-France, also via submission.
Royval followed his impressive victories with back-to-back losses. Those setbacks have aged very well, as he fell to Brandon Moreno and Pantoja, both of who were on their way to claiming UFC flyweight gold.
Royval bounced back from those losses with three consecutive victories, beating Rogério Bontorin (split decision), Matt Schnell (submission), and Matheus Nicolau (knockout). The Schnell and Nicolau wins earned Royval $100,000 in fight-night bonus awards.
In December 2023, Royval and Pantoja fought in the co-main event, with Pantoja defending his title via decision. Royval recovered from those losses with a February 2024 split-decision win over former-champ Moreno and an October 2024 split-decision win over the much-hyped Tatsuro Taira.
After the fight, Royval called for a title shot.
“I’m going balls to the wall,” Royval said at the post-fight press conference. “I trust my pace, I trust my cardio. A fifth-round Raw Dawg is a dangerous Raw Dawg. I trust myself. I think if I ever fought Pantoja again—maybe I shouldn’t be telling my secrets—but I’m going straight after him. I think I played it too safe, I was a little too worried. That being said, I’m going forward, I’m going guns a blazing and that’s what I’m going to do.”
“I see a title shot next, there’s no way about it,” Royval added. “I have a win over the whole top 5 of the division. I’m all about rematches, but that being said, I earned my way to a title shot. I took a short notice against the No. 1, I just took out the hottest prospect in the division. I think a title shot is what’s next for me…”
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – OCTOBER 12: (L-R) Brandon Royval punches Tatsuro Taira of Japan in a flyweight … [+]
UFC Vegas 103: Manel Kape
Manel Kape (20-7) signed with the UFC in March 2020. He was coming off a December 2019 win over Kai Asakura, which earned Kape the Rizin bantamweight title. Kape did not make his promotional debut until February 2021 because of an injury to his opponent in his first booking and his next fight being canceled after his opponent (Pantoja) withdrew because of COVID-19.
When Kape and Pantoja faced off in February 2021, Pantoja won via unanimous decision. Looking to rebound from that loss, Kape took the opportunity for a quick turnaround, stepping in as a late replacement against Nicolau in March 2021. That plan backfired, as Nicolau won via split decision.
Kape rebounded from an 0-2 start to his UFC career with four straight victories, beating Ode’ Osbourne (knockout), Zhalgas Zhumagulov (TKO), David Dvořák (decision), and Felipe dos Santos.
His winning streak ended in July 2024 with a decision loss to Muhammed Mokaev at UFC 304.
Kape bounced back from that loss with a December TKO win over Bruno Silva.
After his win over Silva, Kape requested a title fight against Pantoja.
“(Expletive) Kai Kara-France,” Kape said. “(Expletive) Moreno. (Expletive) [Israel] Adesanya. I’m the next one against Pantoja. I’m the one who can destroy Pantoja. Dana put me in a fight against Pantoja. I’m the new PPV star at flyweight. No one can be like me. I’m terrific. I’m the best.”
UFC CEO Dana White shut down that talk at the post-fight press conference, “He said, ‘You know why, this, that, etc.’ And I said, ‘Well, let’s finish this one first. You’ve got five more minutes.’ So, he went out, and he did it. No, he’s not getting a title shot, but we’ll definitely give him what he’s looking for,” said White.
Kape is the No. 5 fighter in the UFC’s 125-pound rankings.
TAMPA, FLORIDA – DECEMBER 14: Manel Kape of Angola reacts after a knockout victory against Bruno … [+]
UFC 103: Royval Vs. Moreno Opening Odds
According to Draft Kings, the Royval vs. Kape matchup is a pick ‘em, with both fighters opening at -110.
We will have more information on the betting odds for UFC Vegas 103 as fight night approaches.
