Las Vegas – UFC® returns to the APEX with a captivating flyweight main event as No. 1 ranked contender Brandon Royval and No. 6 ranked Manel Kape face off with title implications on the line. The middleweight co-main event will see an all-action clash between Cody Brundage and Julian Marquez.
?
UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: ROYVAL vs KAPE takes place Saturday, March 1 in Las Vegas. The entire event will stream live on ESPN+ (English and Spanish) beginning with the prelims at 4 p.m. ET / 1 p.m. PT, followed by the main card at 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT.?
UFC APEX VIP Experience packages are available via On Location, UFC’s Official VIP Experience Provider. Enjoy exclusive access with an official ticket package that includes premium seating, all-inclusive hospitality, in-seat beverage service, meet-and-greets with UFC Octagon Girls and more. Visit UFCVIP.com for more information.
Royval (17-7, fighting out of Denver, Colo.) plans to make another statement win in his third UFC main event in a row. The relentless fighter has put his Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Muay Thai skills on display in thrilling wins over Brandon Moreno, Kai Kara-France, and Tatsuro Taira. Royval now intends to hold his spot at the top of the flyweight rankings with a victory against Kape.
?
Kape (20-7, Phuket, Thailand by way of Porto, Portugal) seeks to start off his 2025 campaign by continuing the momentum from his impressive win in December over Bruno Silva. With almost a decade-long career under his belt, Kape holds additional notable wins over Zhalgas Zhumagulov, Kai Asakura and David Dvo?ák. Kape now aims to snatch Royval’s spot in the ranks with a highlight-reel performance.
?
Durable grappler Brundage (10-6 1NC, fighting out of Littleton, Colo.) returns to the Octagon seeking another first round stoppage. The former college wrestler has captivated the attention of fans with exciting wins over Zachary Reese, Tresean Gore and Dalcha Lungiambula. Brundage now has his sights set on taking out Marquez in devastating fashion.
?
The always entertaining Marquez (9-5, fighting out of Las Vegas, Nev.) looks to keep his 100 percent finishing rate intact against Brundage. A member of the UFC roster since 2017, Marquez holds bonus-earning victories over Sam Alvey, Maki Pitolo and Darren Stewart. He now strives to return to the winner’s circle with a vintage showing.
Additional bouts on the card include:?
- An exciting lightweight matchup is on tap when Nasrat Haqparast (17-5, fighting out of Rabat, Morocco) take on Esteban Ribovics(14-1, fighting out of Cordoba, Argentina)
- Former professional boxerCharles Johnson (17-6, fighting out of St. Louis, Mo.) meets Ramazan Temirov (18-2-1, fighting out of Toshkent, Uzbekistan) in a battle of flyweights
- No. 8 ranked UFC flyweight contender Asu Almabayev (21-2, fighting out of Almaty, Kazakhstan) takes on former title challenger and No. 9 ranked Steve Erceg (12-3, fighting out of Perth, Western Australia
- Douglas Silva de Andrade (29-6 1NC, fighting out of Castanhal, Para, Brazil) returns to action against John Castaneda (21-7, fighting out of Minneapolis, Minn.) at bantamweight
- Hyder Amil (10-0, fighting out of San Francisco, Calif. by way of San Rafael, Calif.) aims to keep his perfect record intact against William Gomis (14-2, fighting out of Paris, France) in a featherweight bout
- Flyweight actions pits Andrea Lee (13-10, fighting out of Shreveport, La.) against JJ Aldrich (13-7, fighting out of Westminster, Colo.)
- Exciting featherweights clash as Ricardo Ramos (17-6, fighting out of Sao Paulo, Brazil) meets Chepe Mariscal (17-6 1NC, fighting out of Denver, Colo.)
- Danny Barlow (9-0, fighting out of Memphis, Tenn.) intends to impress when he matches up with Sam Patterson (12-2-1, fighting out of Watford, England) at welterweight
- Montana De La Rosa (13-9-1, fighting out of Fort Worth, Texas) and Luana Carolina (11-4, fighting out of Sao Paulo, Brazil) seek to make a statement when they meet at flyweight
- FeatherweightsDanny Silva (9-1, fighting out of Santa Ana, Calif.) and Lucas Almeida(15-3, fighting out of Sao Paulo, Brazil) look to put on a show
- Austen Lane (13-5 1NC, fighting out of Jacksonville, Fla.) collides with Dana White’s Contender Series signee Mario Pinto (9-0, fighting out of London, England) at heavyweight
For the latest information on additional bouts for this event, please visit UFC.com. All bouts are live and subject to change. Please click?here?to apply for the event.?
?
###?
?
About UFC® ?
UFC® is the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization (MMA), with more than 700 million fans and approximately 266 million social media followers. The organization produces more than 40 live events annually in some of the most prestigious arenas around the world while broadcasting to over 900 million households across more than 170 countries. UFC’s athlete roster features the world’s best MMA athletes representing more than 80 countries. The organization’s digital offerings include UFC FIGHT PASS®, one of the world’s leading streaming services for combat sports. UFC is part of TKO Group Holdings (NYSE: TKO) and is headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada. For more information, visit UFC.com and follow UFC at Facebook.com/UFC and @UFC on X, Snapchat, Instagram, and TikTok: @UFC.
?
About ESPN+?
https://espnpressroom.com/us/espnplus
?
About ESPN?
ESPN, the world’s leading sports entertainment brand, features eight U.S. television networks, direct-to-consumer ESPN+, ESPN Radio, ESPN.com, endeavors on every continent around the world, and more.?ESPN is 80 percent owned by ABC, Inc. (an indirect subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company) and 20 percent by Hearst.?
