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Fight By Fight Preview | UFC Fight Night: Royval vs Kape
Detailing What’s In Store For The UFC’s 2025 Finale
By E. Spencer Kyte, on X @spencerkyte
“Closing time, every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end…”
This weekend not only marks the end of the UFC’s 2025 campaign, but also serves as the final card before the promotion debuts on Paramount+ in January with UFC 324 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. But before we put a bow on this year, there is one more action-packed ensemble set to make its way into the Octagon two-by-two this weekend at the UFC APEX.
Let’s dive into the lineup for the final fight card of the year.
Main Event: Brandon Royval vs Manel Kape
For the third time this year, flyweight standouts Brandon Royval and Manel Kape are penciled in opposite one another, with the twice-delayed, but highly anticipated clash of contenders serving as the perfect way to close out the year on Saturday.
Royval returns to action for the first time since facing off with Joshua Van at UFC 317 in Las Vegas during International Fight Week, where the former title challenger landed on the wrong side of the cards, but came away with a second consecutive Fight of the Night bonus. The 33-year-old Colorado-based “Raw Dawg” has faced ranked competitors exclusively since arriving in the UFC midway through 2020 and looks to reaffirm his standing as one of the top talents in the 125-pound weight class with an expedient return to the win column here.
Kape had visions of a quick climb to the top of the division when he joined the UFC roster at the start of 2021, and after stumbling out of the gates, he’s never been closer to challenging for gold than he is now. “Starboy” has earned back-to-back stoppage wins and victories in six of his last seven outings, and a victory on Saturday could very well punch his ticket to a championship opportunity in 2026.
First paired off in a five-round main event in March, Royval was forced to withdraw, and Kape went on to defeat Asu Almabayev. Then in June, it was Kape that suffered an injury and bowed out, resulting in Royval facing Van on short notice and landing on the wrong side of the scorecards. Finally, the flyweight contenders are healthy and ready to stand opposite one another inside the Octagon for what should be an electric final UFC contest in 2025.
Additional Main Card Matchups
Giga Chikadze vs Kevin Vallejos
It’s the old guard versus the new in the featherweight division as rankings mainstay Giga Chikadze faces off with first-year standout Kevin Vallejos.
Currently positioned at No. 15 in the 145-pound rankings, Chikadze looks to close out the year by halting a two-fight skid and sending himself into the new year with a little renewed momentum. The Georgian kickboxer has shared the Octagon with a host of the top names I the division over the course of his six-year, 11-fight run and looks to recapture the form that produced stoppage wins over Cub Swanson and Edson Barboza.
One of the most hyped members of the Dana White’s Contender Series (DWCS) Class of ’24, Vallejos has made good on the excitement surrounding his arrival thus far, earning victories in each of his first two Octagon appearances. Last time out, the 23-year-old Argentinian collected a unanimous decision victory over fellow DWCS alum Danny Silva, advancing his record to 16-1 in the process.
Can Chikadze right the ship and turn back the ascending rookie, or will Vallejos close out his rookie campaign by making a case for a place in the rankings?
Cesar Almeida vs Cezary Oleksiejczuk
Middleweight DWCS graduates meet on Saturday’s main card as Season 7 alum Cesar Almeida squares off with Season 9’s Cezary Oleksiejczuk.
After going 2-1 in his rookie campaign on the UFC roster, Almeida began his sophomore season with a nasty first-round knockout win over Abdul Razak Alhassan in January, giving him back-to-back victories inside the Octagon. Now the 37-year-old Brazilian kickboxer looks to build on that effort as he steps in with the young Polish debutant.
Oleksiejczuk joined his older brother Michal as a member of the UFC middleweight ranks in September with a 36-second stoppage win over Theo Haig. Sporting a 16-3 record with 11 finishes, the 25-year-old profiles as an intriguing addition to the 185-pound mix and is likely to develop into an all-action staple like his big brother.
While there is a 12-year age difference between the two, Almeida and Oleksiejczuk come into this one in fairly similar positions, each looking to truly establish themselves at this level and close out the year with the kind of performance that brings greater opportunities once the 2026 campaign kicks off. Expect fireworks if they opt to stay standing and to learn a great deal about each man, regardless of how things play out.
Melquizael Costa vs Morgan Charriere
Ascending featherweights Melquizael Costa and Morgan Charriere share the Octagon in this matchup of perpetually entertaining members of the 145-pound ranks.
Costa touches down in Las Vegas looking for his fourth win of the year and aiming to extend his winning streak to five. He opened the 2025 campaign with a first-round submission victory over Andre Fili before adding decision wins over Christian Rodriguez and Julian Erosa to move his record to 5-1 inside the Octagon since his short-notice debut up a division.
The former Cage Warriors champion Charriere has alternated results through his first five appearances under the UFC banner. He makes his second career appearance in Las Vegas this weekend, looking to buck that trend and build on his third-round knockout win over Nate Landwehr from July.
Each of these men are allergic to being in boring fights, with Costa showing a more well-rounded game and Charriere carrying more speed and power in his strikes. They’re each closing in on the Top 15, and a strong effort from either one should put them in a position to potentially face a ranked opponent next time out.
Kennedy Nzechukwu vs Marcus Buchecha
Kennedy Nzechukwu and Marcus Buchecha clash in a matchup of intriguing heavyweights looking to rebound from disappointing results last time out.
After beginning his time as a heavyweight with consecutive first-round stoppage wins over Chris Barnett and Lukasz Brzeski, Nzechuwku entered 2025 with building momentum as a possible dark horse to track in the division. Unfortunately for the DWCS alum, he fell victim to a Valter Walker heel hook in Nashville this summer, pausing his forward progress.
One of the best Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu competitors of all time, Buchecha’s arrival in the UFC made waves, but the 15-time world champion stumbled out of the gates. Paired off with Martin Buday over the summer in Saudi Arabia, the 35-year-old newcomer landed on the wrong side of the results, leaving him forced to regroup here.
A couple of impressive outings can make a massive impact in your divisional standing in the heavyweight ranks, so expect Nzechukwu and Buchecha to be looked at and looking to close out the year with a strong showing that sets themselves up for greater opportunities in 2026.
Preliminary Card Pairings
Amanda Lemos vs Gillian Robertson
A matchup between Top 10 strawweights closes out Saturday’s prelims as Amanda Lemos looks to defend her place in the rankings against streaking finisher Gillian Robertson.
Lemos has alternated results since challenging for the title back at UFC 292, collecting wins over current champ Mackenzie Dern and compatriot Iasmin Lucindo while dropping bouts to recent title challengers Virna Jandiroba and Tatiana Suarez. Robertson has gone 5-1 since making the shift back to the 115-pound ranks in the early part of 2023 and enters Saturday’s final fight card on a four-fight run of success that includes victories over Michelle Waterson-Gomez, Luana Pinheiro, and Marina Rodriguez.
Joanderson Brito vs Melsik Baghdasaryan
Dana White’s Contender Series alums Joanderson Brito and Melsik Baghdasaryan clash in this featherweight fixture.
A five-fight winning streak carried Brito to the doorstep of the rankings heading into a Paris clash with William Gomis, but consecutive losses to “Jaguar” and Pat Sabatini have “Tubarao” looking to steady himself here. A member of the DWCS Class of 2020, Baghdasaryan has been limited to just five appearances to date and only one since the summer of 2023, a first-round stoppage loss to Jean Silva in Seattle in February.
Neil Magny vs Yaroslav Amosov
Divisional mainstay Neil Magny welcomes Yaroslav Amosov to the UFC welterweight ranks in this must-see preliminary card matchup.
The 38-year-old Magny enters on a two-fight winning streak, having earned stoppage wins over Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos and Jake Matthews to add to his record win total in the 170-pound weight class. A former Bellator champion with a 28-1 record, Amosov is a 32-year-old standout with a combat sambo base, wins over a host of familiar names, and has a real opportunity to be a factor in the bustling welterweight division in 2026, if he’s able to get by Magny on Saturday.
Sean Sharaf vs Steven Asplund
The second of this weekend’s trio of heavyweight tilts features Sean Sharaf making his sophomore appearance inside the Octagon against recent DWCS grad Steven Asplund.
Sharaf debuted last year on short notice, jumping in against Junior Tafa and holding his own out of the chute before his gas tank ran empty and the Australian banger pounded out the finish. The 27-year-old Asplund makes his first UFC start a little over three months after blowing through Anthony Guarascio in 16 seconds to claim his spot on the roster and extend his winning streak to three.
Melissa Croden vs Luana Santos
Melissa Croden and Luana Santos share the Octagon this weekend in a compelling matchup in the bantamweight division.
Croden made her promotional debut in Vancouver back in October, building into her bout with Tainara Lisboa and maintaining her 100-percent finishing rate with a stoppage victory late in the third round. Santos, who sits at No. 15 in the 135-pound ranks, also enters off a stoppage win over Lisboa, having tapped out her compatriot in May in her return to the division.
Allen Frye Jr. vs Guilherme Pat
It’s a battle of undefeated, debuting heavyweights here as Allen Frye Jr. and Guilherme Pat face off early in the night this weekend.
A protégé of UFC veteran Derek Brunson, Frye Jr. has won each of his first six fights, all by KO or TKO, with each of the last three coming inside the first round. Sporting a 5-0 record with four finishes, Pat competes for the first time since August 2024 after being forced out of his Contender Series assignment this fall for undisclosed reasons.
Jamey-Lyn Horth vs Tereza Bleda
Business on Saturday gets underway in the flyweight division, as Jamey-Lyn Horth squares off with Tereza Bleda.
Squamish, British Columbia’s Horth has alternated results throughout her UFC tenure and touches down in Las Vegas off a unanimous decision win over Vanessa Demopoulos. A couple weeks removed from turning 24, Bleda competes for the first time since June 2023 when she picked up a unanimous decision win over Gabriella Fernandes to move to 7-1 overall.
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