Manel Kape has been compelled out of his upcoming struggle in opposition to Brandon Royval at UFC 317 as a consequence of undisclosed causes. With Kape sidelined, Joshua Van has accepted the short-notice alternative to face Royval on the Worldwide Combat Week card going down June 28 at T-Cellular Area in Las Vegas.
Royval introduced the brand new matchup on social media Monday with further sources confirming to MMA Combating that the matchup is within the works with Kape out of the struggle.
“Manel Kape is out, Joshua Van is stepping in,” Royval mentioned. “I’ve zero concept of the extent of Manel Kape’s accidents however I do know I’ve the most well liked prospect and doubtless essentially the most thrilling UFC flyweight in entrance of me. Actually nothing modifications for me so far as what’s in entrance of me. I’ve obtained a gangster that’s able to take my head off and earn his identify off of me.”
Van simply competed this previous weekend at UFC 316, the place he scored an emphatic end over Bruno Silva to increase his successful streak to 4 in a row general. The 23-year-old fighter has been tagged as one of many prime prospects within the flyweight division however he takes a large leap up in competitors when he faces Royval.
He later confirmed the information as effectively on social media.
I’ll be preventing Royval June 28!!!
— Joshua Van (@JoshuaVanBT) June 9, 2025
A one-time title challenger at flyweight, Royval stays a stalwart close to the highest of the rankings with a 2-0 resume in his previous two fights together with a win over former champion Brandon Moreno. Most just lately, Royval took out Tatsuro Taira in a back-and-forth, five-round battle that earned Combat of the Night time honors this previous October.
The upcoming UFC 317 card is headlined by a pair of title fights as Ilia Topuria strikes as much as 155 kilos and faces Charles Oliveira to crown a brand new light-weight champion whereas flyweight king Alexandre Pantoja places his belt on the road in opposition to Kai Kara-France.
