Manel Kape finds himself facing a new challenger for his UFC Fight Night main event after his originally scheduled bout fell through.
Kape was originally slated to clash with former UFC flyweight title challenger Brandon Royval in the headlining bout of a Fight Night card on March 1 at the Apex in Las Vegas. However, "Starboy" suddenly found himself without an opponent on Wednesday after Royval withdrew due to an undisclosed injury.
According to a recent report from Sportilinet, Kape is now set to battle Asu Almabayev on March 1. The update was also confirmed by MMA journalist Marcel Dorff on X.
Almabayev had been lined up to face Allan Nascimento on the same card but stepped up on short notice for the main event opportunity. Meanwhile, it remains uncertain whether Nascimento will stay on the lineup.
“Starboy” is fresh off a third-round knockout win over Bruno Silva at UFC Tampa this past December. His momentum, however, was briefly derailed last July at UFC 304 when Muhammad Mokaev snapped his four-fight winning streak. Kape currently boasts a 6-3 record in the UFC, with five of those victories coming by way of knockout.
On the other hand, "Zulfikar" last entered the Octagon at a Fight Night event in October, where he earned a unanimous decision win over Matheus Nicolau. Since making his UFC debut in August 2023, he has remained undefeated across four appearances.