The much-anticipated UFC 317 lineup has undergone a notable shake-up.
The UFC’s next pay-per-view event, scheduled for June 28 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, will mark the closing highlight of this year’s International Fight Week.
On Monday, news emerged that Manel Kape had withdrawn from his scheduled bout against former flyweight title challenger Brandon Royval at UFC 317 for reasons unknown. Stepping up on less than three weeks’ notice, surging prospect Joshua Van has accepted the challenge to square off against Royval.
Royval took to social media to announce the updated matchup, revealing that Kape had suffered an injury. He also lauded Van for answering the call on such short notice.
Manel Kape is out, Joshua Van is stepping in,” Royval said on Instagram. “I have zero idea of the extent of Manel Kape’s injuries but I do know I have the hottest prospect and probably the most exciting UFC flyweight in front of me. Really nothing changes for me as far as what’s in front of me. I’ve got a gangster that’s ready to take my head off and earn his name off of me.
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“Raw Dawg” was originally set to face off against Kape in the headline bout of UFC Vegas 103 back in March. However, he was compelled to pull out nearly a month prior after suffering multiple concussions during training.
Royval is riding a two-fight winning streak after falling short in his title challenge against reigning 125-pound champion Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 296 in December 2023. The 32-year-old Colorado native last competed in October, securing a gritty split decision victory over Tatsuro Taira.
Van last seen in action this past Saturday at UFC 316, where he secured a last-minute finish over Bruno Silva. “The Fearless” enters UFC 317 on the back of a four-fight winning streak, which includes dominant decision victories over Rei Tsuruya and Cody Durden.
The 23-year-old Burmese-American also took to X to officially confirm the bout against Royval.
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What Does The UFC 317 Lineup Look Like?
UFC 317 will be headlined by a championship double-header. The main event features former UFC featherweight champion Ilia Topuria facing former lightweight titleholder Charles Oliveira in a battle for the vacant lightweight crown at 155 pounds. Meanwhile, the co-main event will see flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja defend his title against Kai Kara-France.
Here are the confirmed bouts for the UFC 317 card:
- Ilia Topuria vs. Charles Oliveira; vacant lightweight championship
- Alexandre Pantoja vs. Kai Kara-France: flyweight championship
- Paulo Costa vs. Roman Kopylov; middleweight bout
- Beneil Dariush vs. Renato Moicano; lightweight bout
- Brandon Royval vs. Joshua Van; flyweight bout
- Jack Hermansson vs. Gregory Rodrigues; middleweight bout
- Viviane Araujo vs. Tracy Cortez; women’s flyweight bout
- Michael Johnson vs. Daniel Zellhuber; lightweight bout
- Hyder Amil vs. Jose Delgado; featherweight bout
- Jhonata Diniz vs. Justin Tafa; heavyweight bout
