A flyweight title eliminator has been reported to take place on March 1 between two of the division's most exciting strikers.
Via Ag. Fight, Brandon Royval and Manel Kape are set to face off in the main event of a Fight Night card.
Following Alexandre Pantoja's recent title defence against Kai Asakura, there has been a lot of talk about who could be next for him.
Several top contenders have produced impressive performances in recent months but many of them have already been defeated by the champion in the past.
Brandon Royval finds himself firmly in that category as the #1-ranked contender in the division.
"Raw Dawg" has produced back-to-back wins in 2024 to defeat the former champion Brandon Moreno and the division's most exciting rising talent, Tatsuro Taira.
His fight with Taira in particular was a great watch over five rounds but after getting his hand raised, Royval was still in a difficult position.
He has already been beaten by Pantoja on two occasions including their title fight that took place at UFC 296 in December last year.
Portugal's Manel Kape has also suffered a defeat at the hands of Pantoja in the past but a lot has changed since they first met back in 2021.
That fight was Kape's debut inside the Octagon after making the move over from RIZIN following his knockout win over Asakura.
"Starboy" recently bounced back from his loss to Muhammad Mokaev in July with a statement performance against Bruno Silva at the final UFC card of the year in Tampa.
Dana White said that this win wouldn't be enough to earn Kape a title shot but as the #6-ranked contender, beating Royval will leave no doubt that he deserves the rematch.
The UFC main events are already coming thick and fast for 2025 so there's plenty to look forward to.
