UFC flyweight contender Manel Kape’s path to a title shot took a big hit ahead of his scheduled return at UFC 317.
Manel Kape and former UFC title challenger Brandon Royval were set to square off in a No. 1 contender fight at UFC 317 later this month. Kape and Royval are both vying for a shot against UFC flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja, who will face Kai Kara-France in the UFC 317 co-headliner.
But weeks before UFC 317, disaster struck in Kape’s camp. In a recent sparring session at Xtreme Couture, Kape suffered a broken right foot and was forced to withdraw from the upcoming Royval fight.
Kape, who was set to return after finishing Asu Almabayev in a main event fight earlier this year, suffered a big setback in his title pursuit.
Manel Kape broke his foot in sparring ahead of scheduled UFC 317 return
In a recent Instagram post, Kape addressed his followers regarding his UFC 317 withdrawal.
“I suffered a foot fracture during the training &, after medical evaluation, I was instructed to have surgery & focus 100% on recovery,” Kape said.
“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!”
In the same post, Kape shared footage of the moment he broke his foot in sparring in preparation for UFC 317. You can hear a distinct ‘crunch’ sound after Kape throws a right leg kick at his partner.
As of this writing, it’s uncertain how long Kape will be sidelined due to injury. This is the 11th time one of Kape’s UFC fights has been canceled during his promotional tenure.
Kape bounced back well with back-to-back wins since a loss to Muhammad Mokaev at UFC 304 last July. He knocked out Bruno Silva at UFC Tampa before the main event win over Almabayev.
Now, Royval will face a surging flyweight star who fought last weekend at UFC 316.
A UFC 316 star will step up to face Brandon Royval at UFC 317
Joshua Van will step up for the injured Kape and face Royval on the UFC 317 main card later this month. Van knocked out Silva at UFC 316 on Saturday, continuing the 23-year-old’s quick ascent in the flyweight division.
Van, the first Myanmar-born fighter in UFC history, has won four fights in a row since a loss to Charles Johnson last July. He’s 7-1 in his UFC tenure with recent wins over Rei Tsuruya, Cody Durden, and Zhalgas Zhumagulov.
A win over Royval would likely secure Van a title shot against the Pantoja vs. Kara-France winner.
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