Overview
- Manel Kape and Brandon Royval each weighed in at 126 pounds, with Kape stepping on the scale in the final minutes after past weight misses.
- The matchup finally proceeds on the third booking of 2025 following earlier cancellations due to injuries to each fighter.
- All 26 athletes made weight for Saturday’s UFC APEX card, which serves as the promotion’s last event on ESPN before moving to Paramount+/CBS.
- Both contenders sit in the flyweight top 10, and the winner is widely viewed as moving into title contention next year against champion Joshua Van’s field.
- Betting lines list Kape as the favorite on major books, and multiple previews forecast a Kape stoppage, though five rounds are scheduled.