'Raw Dawg' was forced to make a difficult decision in his career after a few health problems.
Brandon Royval was preparing for another prospective main event spotlight in just a few weeks before he withdrew from the fight.
The former title challenge and #1-Continent at Flyweight stood opposite Manel Kape on 1 March in five rounds at the UFC Apex.
With Royval Die Brandon Moreno and Tatsuro Taira defeated to bounce back from his loss to Alexandre Pantoja on UFC 296 and Kape who set up a show in his last outing, the fight would probably have been an eliminator.
The 32-year-old has since explained why he made the call to pull out of the matchup with ASU Almabayev who stepped into his place to hire 'Starboy' on UFC Vegas 103.
Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC
Brandon Royval reveals that several concussion has forced him to reconsider Manel Kape Fight
Brandon Roval spoke in a recent video on his YouTube channel about why he withdrew from the fight on 1 March.
The best competitor revealed that he had had a concussion a few months ago, but after he had taken care of in health, he decided to fight until a second concussion changed things.
Given the commitment that hangs over this fight, without any guarantee when he will be fully restored, Royval had to make a big call to see if he would continue or not.
He decided that the best thing you can do in these circumstances would be to wait instead of going outside to face another top candidate, knowing that he has already been compromised.
'Nothing too crazy. I just played it safely and played it smart. A few weeks later, when I was recovered, I accepted this fight, which was great. Vecht against Manel Kape. I respect his skills, I respect him as a striker and such. I trained hard for this fight and because I was a bit reckless and a bit in the zone in front of the camp, I still got a concussion. This was seriously worse.
“It is more than a week ago at the moment and I still have to do with its consequences and the symptoms of poor concussion. And for that reason and because of the reasoning of adding a weight loss, Manel Kape is a good striker, and this is a predominantly striking match that we thought would be the safest move. Take some time, recovery, recovery this time in the right way and fight at a later time. Fight when I can fully train, take a blow completely and give you the best of my assets. “
Brandon Royval is still right in the mix
The withdrawal of this fight with Manel Kape can mean that Brandon Royval has to wait a little longer for a different title shot, but he is still at the top of the division.
His two earlier fights and losing to the current champion is the only thing that stops him with 'Raw Dawg' who secures two big wins about top candidates in 2024.
A fight with KAPE would not have made him denying, but given that he is the #1 contenter, there will be more great opportunities for important matchups as soon as he is healthy again.
This is undoubtedly the right call for Royval to do right now, given the work he did last year to restore himself as one of the best 125-ponders on the planet.
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