Two of the top 125-pound fighters in the UFC are set to collide in mid-April.
Matheus Nicolau and Brandon Royval will meet at the UFC Fight Night event April 15 in what could be a potential flyweight title eliminator. The event takes place at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Mo., the promotion announced Wednesday.
A person with knowledge of the matchup confirmed the bout to MMA Junkie but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement. Sports Illustrated first reported the fight.
Currently in his second UFC stint, Nicolau (19-2-1 MMA, 7-1 UFC) has won six fights in a row, including four since the promotion brought him back. Victories include Manel Kape, Tim Elliott, David Dvorak, and Matt Schnell.
Royval (14-6 MMA, 4-2 UFC) has won back-to-back fights, victories over Rogerio Bontorin and Matt Schnell. After the Schnell win in February 2022, Royval was booked against Askar Askarov and Amir Albazi, but both fights were canceled.
With the change, the UFC Fight Night lineup for April 15 includes:
- Max Holloway vs. Arnold Allen
- Edson Barboza vs. Billy Quarantillo
- Chris Gutierrez vs. Pedro Munhoz
- Matheus Nicolau vs. Brandon Royval
- Dustin Jacoby vs. Azamat Murzakanov
- Bill Algeo vs. TJ Brown
- Bruna Brasil vs. Denise Gomes
- Martin Buday vs. Jake Collier
- Gillian Robertson vs. Piera Rodriguez
- Lando Vannata vs. Daniel Zellhuber
- Danaa Batgerel vs. Brady Hiestand
- Joselyne Edwards vs. Lucie Pudilova
- Gaston Bolanos vs. Aaron Phillips
