UFC Fight Night: Royval vs. Kape - Odds, Predictions & Picks

• Final UFC event of the year due to take place in Las Vegas on Saturday night

• Flyweight contenders Brandon Royval and Manel Kape square off for a potential title shot next year

• Rising Featherweight star Kevin Vallejos aims to keep momentum going against veteran fighter Giga Chikadze

UFC Fight Night: Royval vs. Kape Odds

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UFC Fight Night: Royval vs. Kape - Picks & Predictions

Brandon Royval vs. Manel Kape - Flyweight Division

• Our pick: Manel Kape (-295) at FanDuel

Giga Chikadze vs. Kevin Vallejos - Featherweight Division

• Our pick: Kevin Vallejos (-295) at FanDuel

César Almeida vs. Cezary Oleksiejczuk - Middleweight Division

• Our pick: Cezary Oleksiejczuk (-196) at FanDuel

Melquizael Costa vs. Morgan Charriére - Featherweight Division

• Our pick: Morgan Charriére (-113) at FanDuel

Kennedy Nzechukwu vs. Marcus Buchecha - Heavyweight Division

Our pick: Kennedy Nzechukwu (-156) at FanDuel

Brandon Royval vs. Manel Kape - Flyweight Division

It’s certainly a case of third time’s the charm for our main event, as Flyweight contenders Brandon Royval and Manel Kape are finally due to lock horns after two injury delays this year. 

This fight ought to have a big say in the Flyweight hierarchy, with both Royval (second) and Kape (sixth) in a position to challenge current champion Joshua Van in the New Year should they come through this test unscathed.

Royval has previous with Van, having pushed the champion all the way in a fight of the year contender in June. The 33-year-old’s two most recent defeats have come when challenging for the title, though he’s a firm yardstick for the division and he will be hopeful of bouncing back for another shot at the crown.

Kape arrives very much on a roll, having knocked out Royval’s replacement Asu Almabayev in the third round of their bout in March. He’s been on a fast trajectory through the ranks since joining the UFC in 2021. He’ll be hoping to down a third straight ranked opponent here, having knocked out Bruno Silva last December.

He’s a highly fancied -295 at FanDuel to keep his winning streak going and gets the vote to boost his title ambitions by sealing another impressive scalp.

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Giga Chikadze vs. Kevin Vallejos - Featherweight Division

There’s a theme of old versus new for this Featherweight clash, as division mainstay Giga Chikadze faces off against rising star Kevin Vallejos. 

A huge eye-catcher from the Contender Series, Vallejos has won his last three fights, including an impressive unanimous victory over Danny Silva in August. The Argentinian is unbeaten in two starts in the Octagon proper and, considering he’s receiving some 13 years from his opponent, he ought to take some stopping on Saturday evening with momentum behind him. 

A mainstay in the division, 15th-ranked Chikadze arrives here having lost three of his last four fights, including most recently against ranked opposition in Arnold Allen (6th) and David Onama (14th). The Georgian is very much into the twilight of his career, but he should provide a stern test for Vallejos, considering he’s been more than a match for a series of big names in this division. 

This is an intriguing match up, but Vallejos gets the vote to continue his upward trajectory. He looks worth siding with at -295 with FanDuel.

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César Almeida vs. Cezary Oleksiejczuk - Middleweight Division

Next up we have two up-and-coming names in the Middleweight Division, as Contender Series graduates César Almeida and Cezary Oleksiejczuk square off in a hugely intriguing affair. 

With four fights under his belt with the promotion, Almeida is the more experienced of the pair, winning three and losing one to date. The Brazilian sealed a vicious knockout victory over Abdul Razak Alhassan in January and the 37-year-old kickboxer will be hoping to continue his momentum against the younger challenger. 

The younger brother of fellow Middleweight Michal, Cezary sealed a UFC contract with a brutal first round knockout of Theo Haig in the Contenders Series in September, taking his opponent out in just 36 seconds. If he’s anything like his brother, he’ll bring fire and fury to the Octagon and it will be interesting to see if he can impose himself physically on an opponent who is 12 years his senior. 

Cezary Oleksiejczuk is -196 with FanDuel to make a winning debut and he gets the vote to start his UFC career on a high note.

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Melquizael Costa vs. Morgan Charriére - Featherweight Division

It should prove to be an informative night in the Featherweight Division, as two key prospects in Melquizael Costa and Morgan Charriére lock horns on the undercard.

There is absolutely nothing to choose between the pair in the betting odds at the time of writing, though momentum is on the side of Costa, who has won his last four bouts. 

This will be the fourth fight of a busy year for “The Dalmatian”, though the fact that he’s won by unanimous decision the last twice suggests he will be a tough nut to crack on the back of a short break. 

Meanwhile, Charriére was on the wrong side of a unanimous decision in his opening fight of the year against Nathaniel Wood, but he bounced back with an impressive third round stoppage of Nate Landwehr in July. Each of his last five career victories have come by stoppage and he will fancy his chances of sealing a top-15 berth with another win. 

This is a tough call, but Morgan Charriére gets the vote to take this at -113 with FanDuel.

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Kennedy Nzechukwu vs. Marcus Buchecha - Heavyweight Division

The final fight under the spotlight is a heavyweight bout between two fighters who will be keen to bounce back after defeats in their most recent outings.

With 10 stoppage victories under his belt, Kennedy Nzechukwu has built a reputation as a knockout artist. The hard striking Nigerian will be keen to bounce back from a submission loss to Valter Walker back in July. Prior to that, he was building momentum as a Heavyweight to follow. It will be interesting to see if he can get back on track.

If he is to do so, however, he will have to see off one of the best Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu fighters around in Marcus Buchecha. The 35-year-old won five of his six fights with the ONE promotion, though he was on the wrong side of a unanimous decision on UFC debut against Martin Buday in Abu Dhabi in July.

Both men will be eager to take this with a rankings berth potentially up for grabs in the New Year for the victor, but it’s Kennedy Nzechukwu who makes the most appeal at -156 with FanDuel.

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How to Watch UFC event: Royval vs. Kape

• Location: UFC Apex, Las Vegas, Nevada

• When: Saturday, December 14

• Time: 10:00PM ET

• How: ESPN2