Manel Kape staked his claim for a title shot after finishing Brandon Royval in the first round of Saturday night's main event at UFC Fight Night.

Kape had an impressive showing at the UFC Tampa, where he snapped Bruno Silva’s four-fight win streak and stopped him via third-round TKO. He was last seen in Octagon in March at UFC Vegas 103, where he defeated Asu Almbayev and earned a 'Performance of the Night' bonus.

The UFC has its final event of the calendar year – and the last one in the ESPN broadcast era before the 2026 move to Paramount. Flyweights headline a Fight Night in the desert. UFC on ESPN 73 (pay-per-view, ESPN2/FX/Disney+, ESPN+) takes place Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Brandon Royval and Manel Kape want the next shot at UFC flyweight champion Joshua Van. Royval and Kape have an important audition on their hands at UFC Fight Night on Saturday, the final event of 2025 before UFC moves to Paramount+.