This fight was supposed to happen at UFC 317, but Manel Kape had to pull out so Joshua Van stepped in and ultimately earned himself a title shot

Just a reminder, I am at minimum a full week ahead in my breakdowns so at the time of this filming I don't know what happened in the main event at UFC 323 and can't use that as a reference point here. I do think though that the winner of this fight likely gets a title shot, at least on the Manel Kape side. Brandon Royval is an absolute dog with incredible cardio. He is not a guy that you can easily on outside of and play the technical game because he is going to get into your face and throw a million strikes. This entire fight will come down to how Manel handles the forward pressure and given his last few performances, I think he handles it well. Manel is a sniper and while Brandon will land more total volume, I also think his reckless forward pressure may lead to being dropped once or twice. I am going to lean Kape here, but I am not entirely sure how Vegas scores forward pressure vs accurate strikes.

Brandon Royval

Brandon Royval is also one of the most exciting guys to watch in the UFC. He is always looking for a finish and is dangerous both on the feet and the ground. His striking is fast, powerful and diverse. His grappling is aggressive with tricky submissions and a willingness to chase them. He throws crazy, brings a ton of pressure and keeps coming forward. He is coming off the title elimination loss to Joshua Van where they set a significant strike record.

Manel Kape

Manel Kape is a fast and explosive striker who has no issues chasing knockouts. He is a southpaw with good pressure and bounces in and out of range really well. He is a decent wrestler when he needs to be and he closes distance well when he wants to. He's very fun to watch and can put on a show. He is coming off the showcase finish win over Asu Almabayev