UFC Fight Night picks & predictions for Brandon Royval vs. Manel Kape

The UFC closes out its 2025 schedule at the UFC Apex this Saturday (December 13), and MMA KO’s Drew Beaupré is here to provide predictions for all 13 of the card’s fights.

The main event is a pivotal flyweight contest between the division’s former title challenger Brandon Royval and Manel Kape. Royval dropped a decision to recently-crowned Flyweight Champion Joshua Van in his last outing, while Kape comes into the night after scoring stoppage-wins in his last two fights.

The co-main event features action in the featherweight division, as Kevin Vallejos will look to continue an undefeated start to his UFC career when he takes on Giga Chikadze, who began his own UFC run with seven-straight wins but is now 1-3 across his last four fights.

UFC Vegas 112 Main Card Predictions

Brandon Royval vs. Manel Kape

Manel Kape (red gloves) fights Bruno Silva (blue gloves) at Amalie Arena. | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

The winner of the final UFC fight of UFC 2025 could be next in line for a flyweight title shot. I don’t think he should be favored quite as heavily as he is, but I do think that Kape will get his hand raised here and finally put himself within range of his first crack at UFC gold.

(Pick: Kape)

Giga Chikadze vs. Kevin Vallejos

Giga Chikadze (red gloves) prepares to fight David Onama (not pictured) during UFC Fight Night at T-Mobile Center. | William Purnell-Imagn Images

Chikadze is in serious need of a win at UFC Vegas 112. It may not be the prettiest performance in the world, but I think he’ll be able to do enough to earn a decision and halt Vallejos’ impressive win streak.

(Pick: Chikadze)

César Almeida vs. Cezary Oleksiejczuk

I’m a bit surprised to see that Oleksiejczuk is favored here given Almeida’s striking credentials, but I’m still picking the Polish debutant to get his hand raised in what should hopefully be an entertaining scrap.

(Pick: Oleksiejczuk)

Morgan Charrière vs. Melquizael Costa

Morgan Charriere, right, is stopped by a referee from punching Nate Landwehr after knocking him to the mat. | Mark Zaleski / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

This could very well end up being the most entertaining fight on the card, and I think Charrière is capable of stifling the considerable momentum Costa has accumulated on his current four-fight win streak.

(Pick: Charrière)

Kennedy Nzechukwu vs. Marcus Buchecha

Marcus Buchecha Almeida (red) fights Victor Hugo (blue) during the ADCC World Championship at Anaheim Convention Center. | Orlando Ramirez-Imagn Images

Nzechukwu can absolutely win this if he just maintains distance and stuffs a few takedown attempts during the early going to tire Buchecha out, but he also got heel hooked in his last outing and is facing an extremely dangerous grappler.

(Pick: Buchecha)

King Green vs. Lance Gibson Jr.

King Green (red gloves) prepares to fight Maurice Ruffy (not pictured ) during UFC 313 at T-Mobile Arena. | Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

While I do think that Gibson will find some success in the UFC, Green is desperately in need of a win and has shared the cage with a significantly higher level of competition than what “Fearless” faced for most of his Bellator career.

(Pick: Green)

UFC Vegas 112 Preliminary Card Predictions

Amanda Lemos vs. Gillian Robertson

Gillian Robertson (blue gloves) reacts after defeating Marina Rodriguez (red gloves) during UFC Fight Night. | Lily Smith/The Register / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The winner of this fight could be one more victory away from a strawweight title shot, and Robertson has shown on her current win streak that she may finally be ready for a crack at the division’s Top 5.

(Pick: Robertson)

Joanderson Brito vs. Isaac Thomson

This feels like a dangerous matchup for Brito with the Brazilian coming off back-to-back losses, and I’m going to pick Thomson to pull off the upset and score a big win in his short-notice debut.

(Pick: Thomson)

Neil Magny vs. Yaroslav Amosov

Yaroslav Amosov during his fight with Jason Jackson. | (Bellator MMA)

Magny is absolutely the type of fighter that might have spoiled Amosov’s highly-anticipated UFC debut in his prime, but at this stage of his career I’m not sure if “Haitian Sensation” will be able to get the better of the former Bellator champion.

(Pick: Amosov)

Sean Sharaf vs. Steven Asplund

There’s always the chance that he could connect with something big, but Sharaf has been handed another tough matchup against the debuting Asplund after being stopped in his own UFC debut against Justin Tafa.

(Pick: Asplund)

Luana Santos vs. Melissa Croden

Luana Santos (red gloves) celebrates after defeating Mariya Agapova (blue gloves) during UFC Fight Night at Ball Arena. | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

This should be a solid bantamweight bout, and I expect that Santos will get her hand raised and collect a second win in a row after Casey O’Neill halted a strong start to her UFC career.

(Pick: Santos)

Allen Frye vs. Guilherme Pat

The expectation seems to be that this matchup between debuting heavyweights is sure to produce a finish, and I’ll side with Frye to extend his unbeaten record in his first Octagon outing.

(Pick: Frye)

Tereza Bledá vs. Jamey-Lyn Horth

Tereza Bledá punches Nayara Maia in a flyweight fight during Dana White's Contender Series. | (Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)

I wouldn’t be surprised to see Horth grind out a win here, but Bledá will carry a height and significant reach advantage into this fight and should be able to do enough to earn a decision against the Canadian.

(Pick: Bledá)

MMA Knockout will be providing comprehensive coverage for UFC Vegas 112 all throughout fight week, and be sure to check back on our homepage tomorrow for live results and highlights on fight night.

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