​Brandon
Royval says he will serve as the backup for the
Ultimate Fighting Championship flyweight title bout between
Joshua
Van and Manel Kape
at UFC
336 on Jan. 30, 2027, at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto.
Speaking on “The Ariel Helwani Show,” Royval said he is getting in
shape and preparing to make weight for the event.Brandon Royval prepares to make weight in Toronto as Joshua Van
and Manel Kape meet for the UFC flyweight title
“I’m the backup,” Royval said. “I’m getting in shape right now,
starting to lose weight after this week. And yeah, we’ll see.”
Royval (18-9) has lost to both Van and Kape. The former title
challenger rebounded in July, submitting Lone’er Kavanagh with a
rear-naked choke at
UFC 329, but remains unsure whom he will face next.
“I don’t know what else I’m going to do,” Royval said. “I’m in a
weird situation where it’s like, the people in front of me beat me,
and then I beat everybody behind me pretty much. So, I’m kind of
waiting for a few fights to shape out before I can even have an
opponent.”
The 34-year-old said he had considered Asu
Almabayev a potential opponent but hadn’t expected him to be
sidelined by injury for so long. In the meantime, Royval sees the
backup role as a way to stay in the title picture.
“The backup spot is for sure something I want because there are
chances that people pull out of fights, and there are chances that
someone gets hurt or whatever it is,” Royval said. “So, it’s a
situation that at least keeps me in the title picture for a little
bit, and it gets me studying the champion and the contender for the
championship.”
Royval sees Kape as the likelier fighter to win by an early finish
but favors Van if the bout goes longer.
“If it ends early, I think Kape will knock him out, and if it
doesn’t, I think Van is just so hard to pick against that he can
get it done,” Royval said.