UFC Bantamweight Champion Merab Dvalishvili has suggested that fans can expect things to play out differently when he runs it back with Sean O’Malley.
After successfully pushing past the challenge of Umar Nurmagomedov this past January, “The Machine” will put his focus back on the man from whom he took the 135-pound gold last September.
During an appearance on Tuesday’s episode of The Ariel Helwani Show on Uncrowned, Dvalishvili outlined his intention to display more of his striking in the rematch with “Suga.”
“I’m going to take some risks and I’m going to show my striking, too. That’s what I’m thinking right now,” Merab Dvalishvili said. “Sometimes I’m a little crazy, so in some fights I’m gonna show my craziness.”
A former fighter has questioned how Michael Chandler has kept his place in the top 10 of the lightweight rankings despite failing to record a single “quality win” in the UFC.
The former Bellator champion will be defending his #7 spot in the 155-pound division five months on from a defeat to Charles Oliveira that has left him 2-4 in the UFC.
And the two victories on that résumé — knockouts of Dan Hooker and Tony Ferguson in 2021 and 2022, respectively — aren’t enough to make former UFC welterweight Matt Brown believe Chandler’s position in the top 10 is warranted.
“The problem with Michael Chandler, he doesn’t have a quality win in the UFC,” Brown said during a recent episode of MMA Fighting’s The Fighter vs. The Writer. “I mean you could debatably say Dan Hooker. How high quality of a win was Dan Hooker at that time? I think (Hooker has) been on a streak, and he’s finally come into his own since then. I think it would be a higher quality win today than it was then but Tony Ferguson isn’t a quality win. I don’t think anybody’s going to argue that.
“I don’t know how Michael Chandler is in the top 10. I love Michael Chandler, I’m not hating on him at all, but most people have to win fights to get into the top 10. He just didn’t,” Brown continued. “Sometimes the rankings are kind of odd. They’re subjective, not really objective. But regardless, my point is we’re going to find out a lot about Paddy Pimblett because this is definitely the toughest guy that he’s fought.”
In addition to a chance at achieving two-time champ status, the bout marks the Australian’s attempt to break his current run of poor results, having been knocked out by both Topuria and Islam Makhachev in his last two bouts.
During a recent episode of his Good Guy/Bad Guy show alongside Daniel Cormier on ESPN MMA’s YouTube channel, Sonnen pointed to that aspect of the storyline to suggest that it’s more than just the title on the line for Alexander the Great” this weekend.
“If he (Volkanovski) gets laid out or he gets stopped, people are going to be calling for a retirement,” Sonnen said. “I think Volk is not only fighting for a world title, but he’s fighting for his career.”
UFC Bantamweight Champion Merab Dvalishvili disagrees with the portion of fans and pundits who have questioned the decision to grant Sean O’Malley a title rematch.
But during an appearance on Tuesday’s episode of The Ariel Helwani Show on Uncrowned, Dvalishvili leapt to the defense of his rival, claiming he “deserves” the shot.
“Even though a lot of people criticize O’Malley getting the rematch, I think he deserves it,” Merab Dvalishvili said. “He made lots of excuses after the fight and I know he will make adjustments and he will change the game plan.
“It’s gonna be a totally different fight,” Dvalishvili continued. “I know he will attack me from the beginning with the body kicks and striking. I want to test my striking, too.”
Kayla Harrison may have successfully hit the bantamweight limit two out of two times in the UFC, but that doesn’t mean dropping the pounds is getting any easier.
Following an emphatic submission of Holly Holm on debut last April, the two-time PFL champion outpointed Ketlen Vieira six months later to book a showdown with newly crowned bantamweight queen Julianna Peña this year.
Harrison previewed the opportunity awaiting her at UFC 316 during an appearance on Monday’s episode of The Ariel Helwani Show on Uncrowned, also touching on her need to hit 135 pounds on the scale come June 6.
“First, it was this fear of, ‘Oh my gosh. Can I do this (make bantamweight)?’ And now, it’s this fear of, ‘Oh my gosh, I know what I have to do in order to do this.’
“It’s definitely not healthy. Don’t do this, kids. I do not recommend,” Harrison concluded.
Askren, speaking on his Funky and the Champ show alongside Daniel Cormier, broke down why he thinks it is a bad move by the former champ.
“I kind of think this is a bad move. If he gets beat up by Merab again, then he loses a whole bunch of attraction because it’s like, well, you already lost to the champ twice, so until the champ goes away, they’re not going to give you a third shot against him. He could have fought some, maybe, lower-ranked guys.”
Askren further explained his reasoning, suggesting that O’Malley could have benefited from facing opponents less likely to expose his wrestling weaknesses.
“Against guys who can’t take him down, he kind of looks like a real freaking superstar, right? He’s really exciting, very diverse striking attack, so he could have looked really good, built the fight back up into something bigger. But now, I feel like everyone is feeling, ‘Hey, we just saw this, it wasn’t competitive. Why do we need to see this again?’”
Since their first fight Sean O’Malley underwent hip surgery, while Merab Dvalishvili successfully defended his title against Umar Nurmagomedov.
Despite “Suga’s” striking abilities, Askren remains concerned about the rematch.
“I wish Sean would have taken some more time to improve his wrestling, but he still has dynamic striking, he has knockout capabilities. Merab has been relatively unstoppable looking in his last handful of fights.”
It’s seemingly the end of the road in mixed martial arts for UFC strawweight Diana Belbiţă.
Belbiţă went 15-10 in MMA between 2014 and 2025. She notably competed for gold in Europe’s renowned KSW promotion prior to joining the sport’s leading promotion.
The Romanian standout entered the Octagon eight times but had her hand raised just twice, defeating Hannah Goldy in 2021 and Maria Oliveira in 2023.
This past weekend’s UFC Fight Night saw “The Warrior Princess” have her woes compounded by Dione Barbosa, whose submission win marked Belbiţă’s third straight setback.
And days later, the 28-year-old took to X to announce a surprise retirement from the sport.
It was fun fighting at the highest level. I never even dared to dream that I will get there, But I ended up spending my last 6 years fighting for the best promotion in the world. It was a fun journey and I loved it. Now it’s time for me to start a new chapter. 🤍 pic.twitter.com/bqclvnAoYq
“It was fun fighting at the highest level,” Belbiţă wrote. “I never even dared to dream that I will get there, But I ended up spending my last 6 years fighting for the best promotion in the world. It was a fun journey and I loved it. Now it’s time for me to start a new chapter.
The Romanian’s penultimate fight came against Molly McCann, who also hung up her gloves recently following a setback by way of submission in London.
UFC lightweight Arman Tsarukyan didn’t take too kindly to some comments out of Paddy Pimblett.
As he gears up for a crucial showdown with Michael Chandler in the co-main event of this weekend’s UFC 314 pay-per-view, Pimblett recently had a different top-10 contender at 155 pounds on his mind.
Tsarukyan responded on X, criticizing the Liverpudlian for a supposed ‘easy’ path up the ladder on MMA’s biggest stage. He also ‘dared’ Pimblett to call him out if he emerges victorious this Saturday night in Miami.
says the guy who got the easiest path to the top in ufc just because he’s got a funny accent and budget beatles haircut. I dare you to call me out if you win and we will see who will shit his pants in the octagon when we meet clown @PaddyTheBaddyhttps://t.co/TKbm1hn5X2
“Says the guy who got the easiest path to the top in ufc just because he’s got a funny accent and budget beatles haircut,” Tsarukyan wrote. “I dare you to call me out if you win and we will see who will shit his pants in the octagon when we meet clown @PaddyTheBaddy“
Tsarukyan has faced slack from more than one of his peers this year. Dan Hooker also jibed at the top contender for his last-second withdrawal from a title shot against Islam Makhachev at UFC 311 this past January.
Former UFC bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley is unfazed by those claiming he is undeserving of a chance to regain the title from Merab Dvalishvili.
UFC CEO Dana White revealed a number of major matchups last week, including the rematch between Dvalishvili and O’Malley for the 135-pound gold at UFC 316 in June following their five-round battle inside the Sphere last September.
The decision has appeared to split the MMA community, with some questioning why “Suga” has been granted an immediate opportunity in his return from injury given his short reign and one-sided defeat to “The Machine.”
During an appearance on Monday’s episode of The Ariel Helwani Show on Uncrowned, O’Malley hit back at his detractors, simply suggesting they should not watch come fight night in Newark.
“Don’t watch,” Sean O’Malley said. “Saturday night, June 7, f*cking watch your reality TV show. Don’t watch the fight.”
Kayla Harrison sees a lot to admire in Julianna Peña, but that doesn’t mean she finds it easy to show the UFC women’s bantamweight champion respect.
Harrison staked her claim for a championship opportunity with a 2-0 debut year in the UFC, which saw her submit former champion Holly Holm and defeat Ketlen Vieira on the scorecards.
The pair are set to co-headline June’s UFC 316 pay-per-view in Newark, where they’ll reignite hostilities that have existed for years and reached the stage during last October’s UFC 307 press conference. With that, it’s safe to say that there’s no love lost between the two rivals.
The challenger does still see plenty of positives in Peña, but during an appearance on Monday’s episode of The Ariel Helwani Show on Uncrowned, Harrison explained why it’s sometimes hard to give the champ her due.
“I want to have a lot of respect for Julianna because she’s a single mom, she’s a veteran of the sport, she scratched and clawed her way to the top, she believed in herself when nobody believed in her,” Kayla Harrison said. “I really wanna have admiration for her.
“I think probably deep down I do, and I love that she’s confident and she says what she thinks, but she’s just pretty dumb sometimes,” Harrison added.
Featherweight: As expected, Lerone Murphy’s victory over Josh Emmett in this past weekend’s main event has seen him climb further into the top 10. “The Miracle” has risen by two positions, leaving him at #8 and the defeated Emmett down at #10.
On Monday, John Marquez, head coach of Pyfer, broke the news on MMA on SiriusXM that the rescheduled clash with Gastelum is now set for UFC 316, slated to take place on June 7 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.
"We're breaking news here on MMA Today."
John Marquez shares the NEW date for the rebooked fight between Joe Pyfer & Kelvin Gastelum and the details on the sickness that derailed the matchup at #ufcmexico
Pyfer bounced back from his unanimous decision loss to Jack Hermansson with a first-round knockout of Marc-Andre Barriault at UFC 303 this past June. Before that setback, “Bodybagz” had been riding high on a wave of momentum, racking up three consecutive finishes inside the Octagon. He now boasts an impressive 4-1 record under the UFC banner.
Meanwhile, Kelvin Gastelum last competed at UFC Saudi Arabia in June 2024, where he secured a hard-fought unanimous decision victory over Daniel Rodriguez. A staple of the UFC roster since making his promotional debut in April 2013, the 33-year-old has shown flashes of brilliance but has often struggled to fully capitalize on his potential.
Over the course of his UFC tenure, Gastelum has compiled a record of 13-9, and one no contest.
According to a report by MMA Fighting on Monday, the UFC veteran has been temporarily relocated to Wasco State Prison — a reception center where inmates are evaluated before being assigned to a permanent long-term correctional facility.
Wasco serves as an intake hub where new inmates are evaluated holistically to determine their appropriate security classification before being transferred to one of California’s main correctional institutions, such as San Quentin or Folsom State Prison.
From the five-year prison sentence handed down to Cain Velasquez, over 42 months (1,283 days) were credited for time already served, including his stint in jail and several months under house arrest. He becomes eligible for parole in March 2026, though that timeline could be expedited based on his behavior in prison and participation in correctional programs aimed at reducing sentences.
The 42-year-old Californian was convicted after being taken into custody for engaging in a high-speed chase carrying Harry Goularte, the idividual accused of sexually abusing Velasquez’s then-four-year-old son at a daycare run by his mother.
Velasquez opened fire on the vehicle with a handgun during the pursuit. However, it was Goularte’s stepfather, Paul Bender, who was struck and sustained non-life-threatening injuries. The former WWE star was taken into custody without resistance in February 2022. Given the severity of the charges, he spent eight months behind bars before being granted bail in November, which was set at $1 million.
Velasquez is set to appear in court again on April 16 for a restitution hearing, where the judge will determine the financial compensation owed to the victims. This may include medical expenses, lost wages, therapy costs, and other damages related to the case.
Former UFC bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley was the first, receiving bright pink shorts for his title defense against Marlon Vera in Miami. The following month, Alex Pereira, Zhang Weili, Justin Gaethje, and Max Holloway all wore custom kits for the milestone UFC 300 card at Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena.
Since then, fans have seen the likes of Dustin Poirier, Ian Garry, Leon Edwards, Paddy Pimblett, Israel Adesanya, Dricus Du Plessis, Merab Dvalishvili, Ilia Topuria, Jon Jones, Charles Oliveira, and Islam Makhachev debut fresh designs.
The initiative shows no signs of slowing, and the latest reveal ahead of the UFC 314 pay-per-view has displayed the shorts that will be worn by Volkanovski as he battles Diego Lopes for the soon-to-be vacant featherweight title.
Demetrious Johnson believes Paddy Pimblett has the potential to become a UFC champion.
“Mighty Mouse,” a legendary former titleholder on MMA’s biggest stage, has been watching Pimblett’s old fights from Cage Warriors and is extremely impressed by what he’s seen.
In a new YouTube video, Johnson shared his take on Pimblett’s personality and all the stuff he does outside the cage, suggesting it hides how good he is at fighting. He also sees him being a champion one day.
“This is why he’s so good,” Johnson said of Paddy Pimblett. “I think one day he will be a champion. If he doesn’t become champion, it’ll be like one of the guys who were really good and never became champion, like a Urijah Faber or Joseph Benavidez. He does everything right, in this fight, in this time of his career, and when he fought Bobby Green.”
“Paddy can grapple, he can strike, he can do it all,” Johnson said. “I think it’s going to be an interesting fight when he takes on Michael Chandler because Michael Chandler is just a big ball of energy that goes from 0-2000(mph), and I know Paddy’s going to meet that once he gets rocked.”
Johnson believes that even against a powerful striker like Michael Chandler at UFC 314 this weekend, Paddy Pimblett will utilize his jiu-jitsu to try and win on the ground.
When it comes to how disappointing his display against UFC Bantamweight Champion Merab Dvalishvili was last September, Sean O’Malley doesn’t need telling.
While he comfortably got the better of Marlon Vera across five rounds, “Sugar” was on the receiving end of a lopsided decision when he ran into the charging Dvalishvili.
And during an appearance on Monday’s episode of The Ariel Helwani Show on Uncrowned, the Montana native made it clear that he’s under no illusion when it comes to the grappling improvement he needs to make ahead of their redo.
“I literally grappled more today than I did that entire last camp,” Sean O’Malley said. “I know I can wrestle better than I showed in that last fight. That was borderline embarrassing.”
“The Typhoon” fought under the UFC banner for nearly four years, amassing a 7-1 record. His only setback came during a flyweight championship bout at UFC 186 in April 2015, where he fell victim to a last-second submission by then-champion Demetrious Johnson.
Horiguchi has voiced his ambition to make history as the first Japanese fighter to claim UFC gold. To achieve that milestone, he’ll likely have to go through his longtime American Top Team stablemate and reigning 125-pound champion Alexandre Pantoja — a challenge the Brazilian says he’s more than willing to embrace.
During a recent interview with MMA Fighting, “The Cannibal” showered Horiguchi with praise, extolling the Japanese veteran for playing a pivotal role in his growth throughout his MMA journey.
“Kyoji Horiguchi helped me get this belt,” Alexandre Pantoja said. “If I don’t have Kyoji Horiguchi, I don’t know if I have the opportunity to fight for the belt, I don’t know if I have the to be a champion one day. But I have Kyoji Horiguchi here on my side all my camps. And that’s what I say, if Kyoji Horiguchi helped me to conquer that, he helped my family too.”
Pantoja went on to say that, as a gesture of gratitude, he would gladly welcome a championship clash with “The Typhoon” should he put together a winning streak in the UFC.
“And all the time I have the chance to say thank you to him, I say Kyoji, thank you for everything you did for me. And it’s gonna be a pleasure if I fight with him for the belt. Just for the belt. I don’t believe I’d fight with Kyoji without the belt, but for the belt, we are talking about that. And it’s gonna be like a gift, this opportunity to fight with Kyoji for the belt. I hope I can still hold this belt for so long and wait Kyoji for that.”
“The Cannibal” last stepped into the Octagon at UFC 310 in December, where he delivered a commanding performance by submitting former RIZIN bantamweight champion Kai Asakura, marking his third successful title defense.
Meanwhile, Horiguchi’s most recent outing came at RIZIN 49: Decade in December, where he secured a dominant unanimous decision win over Nkazimulo Zulu, extending his unbeaten run to six straight fights.
He’s remained undefeated since April 2022, when he came up short in a unanimous decision against Patchy Mix at Bellator 279.
Patricio Pitbull is set to make his first appearance in the UFC on April 12 in Miami against Yair Rodriguez. This featherweight match will be part of the main card at UFC 314.
Pitbull’s most recent fight was in March 2024 when he won by technical knockout in the third round against Jeremy Kennedy. This victory allowed him to defend the Bellator featherweight championship for what turned out to be the last time.
Michael Bisping analyzed the main fights scheduled for UFC 314 in a new video on his YouTube channel. Bisping believes Patricio Pitbull’s age is a key point of discussion leading up to the Brazilian’s UFC debut against Rodriguez.
“Can the old guy get it done? Patricio ‘Pitbull,’ 37 years old coming over from Bellator, where I think he was a four-time champion. Biggest win, probably, when he knocked out ‘Iron’ Mike Chandler in the very first round, vicious right hand. He’s got good jiu-jitsu, but he’s 37 years old,” Bisping said. “There’s a lot of wear and tear, there’s a lot of miles on the clock, and that’s not surprising when you look at the amount of experience.”
Michael Chandler has acknowledged the challenges of dealing with the public perception that he’s a cheater in the UFC.
Despite the noise surrounding him, he asserts that he is confident in his character ahead of his five-round co-main event clash against Paddy Pimblett at UFC 314 in Miami this Saturday.
Chandler is aware of the accusations that followed his loss to Dustin Poirier at Madison Square Garden and most recently against Charles Oliveira at UFC 309.
“I mean, the narrative is tough, man,” Chandler told MMA Fighting. “People don’t really know me. Unless you’re in my inner circle, you don’t know who I truly am outside of [being] in front of the camera. People have their sneaky suspicions that I play nice in front of the camera, and I’m a bad guy behind the camera. You’re always going to have those accusations, right?
“But I know who I am, and I know who I am at my core; I’m a guy who tries to do things right, tries to treat people right, do things with honor and respect. So the cheating narrative is a little tough for me, but also, it’s all part of the court of public opinion, man.”
Chandler enters his upcoming 2025 octagon appearance with a record of 2-4 in his UFC career. He is now focused on ending a near three-year winless streak.
“Did I grab Dustin Poirier’s mouthpiece? Yes, I did, because I thought it was his chin,” Chandler said. “I’ve already addressed that one. Things happen in a fight. Are you going to reach over and grab the cage? Are you going to get your fingers in the glove? Yeah. Those things are going to happen in a fight.
“In the last fight, Charles Oliveira dug his chin so deep into my eye socket that I thought I was going to go blind, which is illegal. It’s an eye gouge, right? He was grabbing my gloves when he was trying to choke me. These things happen when you’re inside of the cage. I would never say that Charles Oliveira is a cheater. His body is reacting and doing things without his brain’s permission. You’re in fight or flight. Things happen. So it’s a tough narrative.”
Former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker has given his thoughts as fellow Australian standout Alexander Volkanovski gears up for a crucial assignment this weekend.
With Topuria dropping the belt ahead of a permanent move to lightweight, the Australian will need to stall the title ambitions of Diego Lopes if he’s to begin a fresh rule over the division and avoid a three-fight losing skid.
During a recent episode of his MMArcade Podcast, Whittaker looked ahead to his compatriot’s crucial outing in Miami.
“I think the million-dollar question is what Volk are we going to see in the octagon come that night, come UFC 314? Because his couple, like, everyone was already talking about his losses to Makhachev, his knockout, and then you back that on to the knockout with Topuria, you back that on to his age.
“As MMA fans like to do, as soon as he lost, they started throwing his age around and started calling him a wash, which is the silliest thing I’ve ever [heard]. Like, MMA fans are the best and worst of us as people, but truth is, he’s been out for a while now… his age is a factor in this. Which Volk are we going to see in the octagon come [UFC] 314?”
Former UFC bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley says Michael Chandler will be coming up against a “beast” when he shares the Octagon with Paddy Pimblett.
The two ranked lightweights are set to do battle in the co-main event of this weekend’s UFC 314 pay-per-view, slated for the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida.
While Pimblett looks to extend his perfect UFC run en route to a further climb up the ladder at 155 pounds, Chandler plans on reviving his championship ambitions after Charles Oliveira sent him to a 2-4 UFC record last November.
During a recent episode of his TimboSugarShow alongside coach Tim Welch, O’Malley outlined his thoughts on Saturday’s co-headliner. “Sugar” had positive words for both men but laid particularly heavy praise on Paddy Pimblett.
“Paddy vs. Michael Chandler is such an interesting fight,” O’Malley said. “Michael Chandler is such a gangster for taking that fight. If he beats Paddy, that’s still a big win — if. Maybe not in some people’s eyes, but Paddy is f**king skilled. What he did to Bobby Green was super (impressive).
“It’s a big fight. Michael Chandler is a beast for taking that fight, Paddy’s a beast. I mean, Paddy, what he wants to do is climb the rankings. I think that fight makes so much sense,” O’Malley continued. “I don’t know who wins either. I feel like it’s gonna be very competitive.”
When fans last Saw Pimblett in action, he ran through King Green in quick time at UFC 304 last July. And having choked the veteran unconscious, “The Baddy” enters his first outing of 2025 ranked #12 in the lightweight division.
Michael Chandler has acknowledged one flaw in Paddy Pimblett’s game that could be exploited when they collide at UFC 314.
Chandler and Pimblett are set to co-headline this weekend’s pay-per-view in Miami, setting the stage for the vacant featherweight title clash between Alexander Volkanovski and Diego Lopes.
For the ex-Bellator champion, the assignment marks an important one in the context of his UFC career after he fell to a 2-4 record in the Octagon courtesy of a second defeat to Charles Oliveira last November.
And as he gears up for an attempt to become the first to beat Pimblett in the promotion, Chandler has seemingly identified one area in which he could get the better of “The Baddy.”
During a recent Q&A session on X, “Iron” acknowledged the suggestion from a fan that Pimblett “leaves his chin in the air.”
Both of Chandler’s UFC wins to date came by way of knockout. After finishing Dan Hooker with strikes seconds into his debut, the 38-year-old later starched Tony Ferguson with a brutal head kick.
Despite some backlash to his performance, Torrez Finney insists he accomplished the most important thing in his UFC debut — win.
The arrival of Finney was one of the most intriguing storylines heading into this past weekend’s UFC Fight Night inside the Apex. That was owing to the manner in which the undefeated middleweight secured a contract.
“The Punisher” required an unprecedented three victories on Dana White’s Contender Series to finally forge a path onto MMA’s biggest stage. His performances evidently didn’t impress the UFC CEO, who even predicted that Finney would get “decimated” in the Octagon.
“I’d rather have an ugly ‘W’ than a good ‘L,’” Torrez Finney said. “One, we were really confident in my area, obviously, getting it to the ground. I felt like I was the better grappler, no question. He did some things better in situations than I expected, but also, there was a lot of missed opportunities for me on the ground, and I didn’t take advantage of it.
“There’s a lot of things I got to grow on. I think I gave him too much confidence in areas, and I didn’t execute,” Finney concluded.
Former Bellator standout Aaron Pico appears set to be thrown into the deep end on MMA’s biggest stage.
Pico quickly made a name for himself as an all-out entertainer after debuting as a professional at Bellator 180 in 2017. The Californian went on to compete 16 times for the promotion before it was acquired by the PFL, defeating the likes of Leandro Higo and Pedro Carvalho.
The 28-year-old fought once post-PFL purchase, defeating Henry Corrales on the PFL vs. Bellator card in February 2024. After a lengthy stint on the sidelines, Pico joined the likes of Patricio Pitbull and Patchy Mix in publicly criticizing the PFL and requesting their release.
Pico ultimately got his wish at the start of this year and soon made his way to the UFC, where a tough test seemingly awaits him on debut.
According to Red Corner MMA, the former freestyle wrestler will enter the Octagon for the first time to do battle with the undefeated Movsar Evloev, the current #4-ranked featherweight in the UFC.
Much to the dismay of fans and pundits alike, the report also puts Aaron Pico’s debut on the UFC Fight Night card set for the low-capacity Apex venue on May 17.
UFC flyweight contender Brandon Royval has expanded on the postponement of his clash with Manel Kape this year.
2024 was a successful year for the #1-ranked Royval, who entered it off the back of a disappointing performance in his title challenge against Alexandre Pantoja in December 2023.
With that, the 32-year-old is firmly back within the championship conversation at 125 pounds. And to earn another chance at the gold, Royval must now get past Manel Kape.
“I believe that there’s levels of concussion…that’s just facts,” Royval said. “You can get minor headaches, all that stuff. My concussion was so severe that like, originally I wasn’t formulating sentences well. I wasn’t like, recalling — me and you would be having a conversation, I’d start to talk, and I would forget what I was saying mid-sentence. That was the first week.
“My eyes weren’t tracking. That was the weirdest thing of all,” Royval continued. “If I was bouncing my eyes between things…I would have a hard time finding (what I was trying to look at). … Being a flyweight, being in the UFC, being in any sport, my eyes need to be bouncing. I need to be seeing everything.”
