Asu Almabayev Replaces Brandon Royval, Meets Manel Kape Atop UFC Vegas 103

The round robin of opponents continues for Ultimate Fighting Championship flyweight Asu Almabayev.

In January, news broke that former title challenger Steve Erceg was booked against Almabayev (21-2) at UFC Vegas 103, also known as UFC Fight Night 253. The two flyweights were set to tangle, until Erceg was pulled to face Brandon Moreno in April and was replaced by Allan Nascimento.

Now with former main attraction Brandon Royval bowing out of UFC Vegas 103 due to injury, Almabayev will be stepping into the main event. He will throw down with Manel Kape (20-7) in a 125-pound five-rounder on March 1 inside of the UFC Apex. News of this shuffling first came courtesy of Kazakhstan-based outlet Sportilinet on Thursday, and it has since been confirmed by multiple outlets.

Surging 31-year-old Almabayev earns this large opportunity on the heels of a successful 2024 campaign that saw him pick up three wins in the Octagon, albeit all at the hands of the judges. “Zulfikhar” first topped C.J. Vergara by decision before earning the nod against Jose Johnson and Matheus Nicolau, the last of which coming in October. Since suffering a pair of losses in 2017, Almabayev has not looked back, emerging as the victor in 17 straight.

After numerous fight cancelations and changed opponents as of late, Kape will enter the cage after scoring arguably the biggest win of his UFC career. On the main card of UFC on ESPN 63 in December, Kape decimated Bruno Silva with a body kick and follow-up punches to get back in the win column. While “Starboy” anticipated a match with Royval likely earning title eliminator consideration, the same cannot be said for this new top-15 pairing.

UFC Fight Night 253, also coined UFC Vegas 103, will take place inside of the UFC Apex on March 1. With Kape vs. Almabayev on the books, it sits atop an event that includes Cody Brundage vs. Julian Marquez in the co-main spot. Additional main card matchups include Nasrat Haqparast vs. Esteban Ribovics in a potential lightweight brawl and a heavyweight smash-em-up derby as Austen Lane takes on Mario Pinto.