Latest news with #ManelKape
Forbes
4 days ago
- Sport
- Forbes
UFC Cuts Promising Young Fighter, Fans Sound Off
MONTREAL, QUEBEC - MAY 08: UFC President and CEO Dana White is seen on stage during the UFC 315 ... More press conference at Bell Centre on May 08, 2025 in Montreal, Quebec. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC) Not all UFC roster cuts carry the same, this-could-be-the-end vibes. The UFC recently dropped a slew of fighters from their roster and the release of Felipe dos Santos, a promising 24-year-old Brazilian flyweight caused a stir amongst educated MMA fans. Dos Santos had shown flashes of real promise. In his UFC debut, he stepped in on short notice against top flyweight contender Manel Kape at UFC 293 in Sydney. UFC Roster Tracker posted the update. One fan commented on the post: "Terrible decision fr he was exciting." Another simply called the decision "unfair." A third wrote: "Look at the peoples who's just been added. And they've removed FDS, shocking." A fourth called out dos Santos performance against Kape: "watched his fight live in Sydney against Kape, kid is too good to be cut, real potential." SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - SEPTEMBER 06: Felipe Dos Santos poses for a portrait during a UFC photo session ... More on September 6, 2023 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Mike Roach/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images) That fight turned into a wild back-and-forth war, earning both men Fight of the Night honors. Despite losing by unanimous decision, dos Santos gained plenty of respect for the performance. He followed it up with a split-decision win over Victor Altamirano in February, then lost back-to-back decisions to Andre Lima and Lone'er Kavanagh. The decision to part ways with dos Santos feels a little quick considering he shined in a Fight-of-the-Night loss during his UFC debut against top contender, Manel Kape in September 2023. He bounced back with a split-decision win over Victor Altamirano in February 2024. Unfortunately, he dropped his next two–both by unanimous decision–to Andre Lima in September 2024 and Kavanagh in March. LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 22: (L-R) Lone'er Kavanagh of England punches Felipe dos Santos of Brazil in ... More a flyweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at The O2 on March 22, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC) While the decision to part ways with dos Santos might have been a little quick, I understand the potential thought process. He is just 24 years old and rather than have him potentially piling up close losses against fighters who are more ready, the thought could be to let him go back to fighting with LFA or other regional promotions to get more experience. The UFC seems to think highly of dos Santos as he had two canceled fights set for DWCS in 2023 before he got the call for a late-notice opportunity to face Kape. This release feels like a temporary separation. If dos Santos wins once or twice elsewhere, I'd imagine he'd get another chance to prove himself in the Octagon. According to Tapology, dos Santos doesn't have a fight scheduled with another promotion. But it wouldn't surprise me if news is forthcoming. The UFC also parted ways with Ange Loosa, Matt Brown (officially), Jordan Vucenic, Viviane Araujo and Trevin Giles. What 's Next For the UFC? MMA's No. 1 promotion is in Nashville on July 12 with a heavyweight headliner that could produce the division's next star. Undefeated 25-year-old Brazilian heavyweight, Tallison Teixeira gets the biggest test of his eight-fight career. The No-13-ranked finishing machine clashes with No. 9 Derrick Lewis. If Teixeira wins, he'll land in the top 10 and could be just two wins away from a title shot. If he loses, it could be a massive setback in his career. In either case, most are expecting the fight to end in a finish. Here is a look at the entire card and viewing information.
Yahoo
28-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
UFC 317 Preview and Prediction: Brandon Royval
Tomorrow night on the main card of UFC 317, we are going to see an extremely exciting fight in the flyweight division. Former title challenger Brandon Royval (17-7) will be taking one the most exciting prospect in the flyweight division in Joshua Van (14-2). This was not Royval's original fight. Royval was supposed to have a title eliminator against Manel Kape, but Kape had to pull out of the fight due to injury. When Kape fell out, Van stepped in. Van just dominated and stopped Bruno Silva at UFC 316 a few weeks ago. Since he was fresh after the fight, he got the call to step in and he took it. Van has won four in a row and has the opportunity to jump right into title contention. Advertisement That said, going from Bruno Silva to Brandon Royval is a huge jump, no disrespect to Silva. Brandon Royval since 2019 is 9-3 inside the octagon. Two of those losses came against flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja. The other loss was a loss to Brandon Moreno where Royval injured his shoulder. A loss that he got back with a decision win over Moreno last February. Royval also has a second round finish over tomorrow night's challenger Kai Kara-France during that stretch. UFC 317 Prediction When the odds of this fight were first released, Van was better than -200 which is insane to me. Again, Brandon Royval is the number one contender in the division for a reason. The only man who has truly beaten him is the champion while Royval has been taking out all the other top UFC flyweight contenders. Van was just stopped by Charles Johnson last July. I absolutely love Joshua Van and I believe that he's going to be a future flyweight champion, however, he's 23-years-old and there's plenty of time for him to get there. I really admire him for jumping at this opportunity, but I think Royval is just going to be too much for him. Advertisement I think Royval will control the pace and his ability to mix in his striking and scramble in the grappling exchanges is really going to help here. I think this is going to be a wild fight and I see Royval getting a submission win at UFC 317. I think there will be some form of a grappling exchange that will lead to a Royval guillotine. That said, if Van pulls this off, the sky is the limit for the young man and he'll be next for the flyweight champion. Prediction: Brandon Royval by Submission Related Headlines
Yahoo
26-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Manel Kape picks Kai Kara-France to beat 'too reckless, too sloppy' Alexandre Pantoja
Manel Kape predicts a new flyweight champion will be crowned at UFC 317. Alexandre Pantoja (29-5 MMA, 13-3 UFC) defends his flyweight title against Kai Kara-France (25-11 MMA, 8-4 UFC) in Saturday's co-main event (pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+) at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Advertisement Pantoja has looked nearly unstoppable at 125 pounds, having already notched three title defenses over Brandon Royval, Steve Erceg, and most recently a submission of Kai Asakura at UFC 310. But with Kara-France's power, and Pantoja's walk-forward style, Kape (21-7 MMA, 7-3 UFC) thinks the Brazilian will find himself in trouble. "Honestly, I see a potential win from Kai Kara-France," Kape told Inside Fighting. "I'm not going to lie. Pantoja is a great fighter, he's a great champion. I just see his game is getting too reckless, too sloppy, and I see the game of Kai Kara-France more composed. He has some power in his right hand. "I'm not saying he can knock down Pantoja. He has that power, but Pantoja is tough. But, I don't believe Pantoja takes him down, too. Kai Kara-France has been facing better grapplers than Pantoja like (Rogerio) Bontorin, Askar Askarov. So, that's my point. Unfortunately, my odds go to Kai Kara-France. That's my read on the fight." Kape, who's coming off a TKO of Asu Almabayev in the UFC Fight Night 253 headliner in March, has been eager to settle things with Kara-France after the pair have been beefing for almost two years now. Their back-and-forth stems from Kara-France withdrawing from their UFC 293 matchup, and Kape thinks their fight could finally be rebooked after UFC 317. Advertisement "After this fight, we can run back me and Kai Kara-France," Kape said. "He's been saying a couple of things in interviews. He's getting that confidence because I'm not close to him." Kape was scheduled to compete at UFC 317 against Brandon Royval, but was replaced by Joshua Van after breaking his foot. This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC 317: Why Manel Kape thinks Kai Kara-France beats Alexandre Pantoja
Forbes
13-06-2025
- Sport
- Forbes
UFC 317: Brandon Royval Vs. Joshua Van Opening Betting Odds
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - OCTOBER 12: Brandon Royval reacts after a victory against Tatsuro Taira of Japan ... More in a flyweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on October 12, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC) UFC 317 picked up an eye-opening flyweight fight earlier this week when the UFC booked Joshua Van to step in on short notice to face Brandon Royval shortly after Royval's initial opponent, Manel Kape, dropped off the card due to a foot injury. Royval enters the June 28 pay-per-view card as the No. 1 ranked UFC flyweight, while Van is riding a four-fight winning streak. UFC 317 takes place on June 28 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The PPV card is the centerpiece of this year's UFC International Fight Week festivities. NEWARK, NEW JERSEY - JUNE 07: Joshua Van of Myanmar enters the octagon before the flyweight bout ... More against Bruno Silva of Brazil during UFC 316 at the Prudential Center on June 07, 2025 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo) Kape, who is the No. 6 ranked UFC flyweight broke the news that he was out of his UFC 317 matchup opposite Royval on social media. "With great regret, I come to inform that I am out of the next #UFC317 competition. "I suffered a foot fracture during the training &, after medical evaluation, I was instructed to have surgery & focus 100% on recovery. "It's not easy to stay out of something I've been preparing for with so much dedication, and without a doubt this would be the most advantageous fight of my career but I understand that this is just another challenge on the way and I trust the plans that Allah has for me! 'I sincerely thank everyone who is with me - we remain firm, stronger with each obstacle. The battle was only postponed... I'll be back soon!' Kape wrote on X. Kape and Royval were scheduled to meet in March 2025, but Royval withdrew from that fight due to concussions. Kape stayed on the card, beating Asu Almabayev by TKO. The win was Kape's second straight TKO win and improved his record to 6-1 dating back to August 2021. 'Manel Kape is out, Joshua Van is stepping in,' Royval said on Instagram. '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 confirmed Royval's statement, saying on X, 'I'll be fighting Royval June 28!!!' Royval last fought in October 2024 when he scored a split decision win over Tatsuro Taira in a 'Fight of the Night' bonus-winning performance at the top of a UFC Vegas fight card. LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - OCTOBER 12: Brandon Royval prepares to face Tatsuro Taira of Japan in a ... More flyweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on October 12, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC) When BetOnline published the opening betting lines for the Royval vs. Van matchup, Van opened as the -260 betting favorite over Royval, who was the +220 betting underdog. Those odds have shifted in a big way since then. Today, Royval is the -132 betting favorite over Van, who is currently the +122 betting underdog. NEWARK, NEW JERSEY - JUNE 07: Joshua Van of Myanmar reacts after a knockout victory against Bruno ... More Silva of Brazil in a flyweight bout during the UFC 316 event at Prudential Center on June 07, 2025 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Ed Mulholland/Zuffa LLC) The timing of the Royval vs. Van fight is excellent. The co-main event of UFC 317 finds the flyweight title on the line, as champion Alexandre Pantoja faces Kai Kara-France in that matchup. The winner of the Royval vs. Van fight, which is currently booked for the UFC 317 prelims, could determine who faces the winner of that Pantoja vs. Kara-France matchup. Van spoke about that fight. "Kai is a very powerful guy. So I feel like if Kai doesn't show him too much respect, I think he can get it done," Van said. "But if Pantoja bullies him in there, it's done. It's over. 'It would be ideal if I fight Pantoja because nobody's ever beaten him as the champion. So if I go out there and beat him, that would be [great]. May the best man win.' Royval faced Pantoja in a title fight in December 2023. Pantoja won that contest by decision. The two also faced each other in a non-title bout in August 2021. Pantoja earned a submission win in that scrap. Royval has a September 2020 submission win over Kara-France. The UFC officially announced the five-fight line-up for UFC 317 during the UFC 316 broadcast. Ilia Topuria vs. Charles Oliveira - For vacant UFC lightweight title Alexandre Pantoja vs. Kai Kara-France - For Pantoja's UFC flyweight title Paulo Costa vs. Roman Kopylov - Middleweight Beneil Dariush vs. Renato Moicano - Lightweight Jhonata Diniz vs. Justin Tafa - Heavyweight We will have more on Royval vs. Van and the UFC 317 fight card as fight night approaches.
Forbes
10-06-2025
- Sport
- Forbes
UFC 317 Fight Card Gets Major Update With Injury
The No. 1 ranked fighter in the UFC's flyweight division saw his initial UFC Atlanta opponent fall off the June 14th fight card, only to pick up a surprise short-notice replacement who is coming off a big win at UFC 316. On Monday, Brandon Royval announced that his UFC 317 fight against the No. 6 ranked Manel Kape was off. The No. 1 ranked UFC flyweight also announced that his replacement opponent would be Joshua Van, who entered UFC 316 as the No. 14 ranked 125-pound contender. Van knocked out the No. 12 ranked Bruno Silva at the top of the UFC 316 preliminary card. Van is likely to jump in the rankings, thanks to that victory. "With great regret, I come to inform that I am out of the next #UFC317 competition. "I suffered a foot fracture during the training &, after medical evaluation, I was instructed to have surgery & focus 100% on recovery. "It's not easy to stay out of something I've been preparing for with so much dedication, and without a doubt this would be the most advantageous fight of my career but I understand that this is just another challenge on the way and I trust the plans that Allah has for me! 'I sincerely thank everyone who is with me - we remain firm, stronger with each obstacle. The battle was only postponed... I'll be back soon!' Kape wrote on X. Kape and Royval were scheduled to meet in March 2025, but Royval withdrew from that fight due to concussions. Kape stayed on the card, beating Asu Almabayev by TKO. The win was Kape's second straight TKO win and improved his record to 6-1 dating back to August 2021. 'Manel Kape is out, Joshua Van is stepping in,' Royval said on Instagram. '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 confirmed Royval's statement, saying on X, 'I'll be fighting Royval June 28!!!' Royval last fought in October 2024 when he scored a split decision win over Tatsuro Taira in a 'Fight of the Night' bonus-winning performance at the top of a UFC Vegas fight card. The UFC has not officially announced the Royval vs. Van matchup for UFC 317. The UFC officially announced the five-fight line-up for UFC 317 during the UFC 316 broadcast. Ilia Topuria vs. Charles Oliveira - For vacant UFC lightweight title Alexandre Pantoja vs. Kai Kara-France - For Pantoja's UFC flyweight title Paulo Costa vs. Roman Kopylov - Middleweight Beneil Dariush vs. Renato Moicano - Lightweight Jhonata Diniz vs. Justin Tafa - Heavyweight We will have more on the UFC 317 fight card as fight night approaches. UFC 317 takes place on June 28 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
