A flyweight bout between former title challenger and No. 2 ranked contender Brandon Royval and No. 6 ranked Manel Kape headlined Saturday’s UFC Vegas 112 fight card.
Royval entered the fight at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas looking to rebound from a loss to current titleholder Joshua Van. Kape made the walk to the octagon coming off back-to-back wins.
Kape landed first with an onside leg kick. Royval circled on the outside and connected with a kick to the body. Royval delivered a hard kick to the body. Kape responded with a right hand. Both men landed right hands in a brief exchange. Kape switched stances often. Kape pressed forward behind a right hand., Royval answered with leg kicks.
Kape continued to press forward. He landed a right hand that dropped Royval. Kape went for the finish and put Royval away with followup right hands.
Th e official time of the stoppage was 3:18 of the opening round.