Brandon Royval vs. Manel Kape Prediction on December 13, 2025

Match info

This is a five-round flyweight MMA main event and the headline bout of UFC on ESPN 73: Royval vs. Kape, also known as UFC Vegas 112 / UFC Fight Night 266. It’s scheduled to be the final UFC card of 2025 and, crucially, the last UFC event broadcast under the ESPN U.S. media-rights deal before the promotion moves to Paramount/CBS in 2026 — a moment that typically draws major wagering attention, making it an ideal spot for fans to compare the odds of the best MMA bookmakers.

In the division context, American contestant Brandon Royval is a former title challenger and current top-3 contender, while Manel Kape from Portugal sits just a couple of spots behind him in the rankings and is riding real momentum. With Joshua Van now champ after his win over Alexandre Pantoja and the division in transition, this matchup realistically serves as a de facto title eliminator: the winner is in a very strong position to either get the next shot or be one fight away.

The UFC on ESPN 73: Royval vs. Kape is planned to go on Saturday, December 13, 2025, with the main card starting at 19:00 Pacific Time (PT, local time in Nevada). The fight takes place at the UFC Apex in Enterprise, Nevada, which is part of the Las Vegas Valley in the United States.

Meeting statistics

Current form and & fight-style: Brandon Royval

Brandon “Raw Dawg” Royval comes in as the archetypal chaos merchant at flyweight. A former LFA champ and UFC title challenger, he owns a 17–8 professional record with a huge proportion of finishes – nine wins by submission and four by KO/TKO, which tells you how opportunistic and aggressive his game is.

In terms of form, he’s just coming off an absolute war with Joshua Van at UFC 317, where Van edged him by unanimous decision in what many viewed as a potential Fight of the Year–level bout. Before that setback, Royval would put together a strong run, including razor-close wins over Brandon Moreno and previously undefeated Tatsuro Taira, and earlier had gone five hard rounds in a losing title effort against Alexandre Pantoja. This recent stretch underlines who Royval is right now: a proven elite who can hang with the very best in 25-minute fights.

Stylistically, the US fighter thrives in high-pace, scramble-heavy chaos. On the feet, he throws in volume rather than single-shot power, using awkward angles, kicks, and combinations to create exchanges where opponents make mistakes. On the mat, he’s a slick and aggressive grappler with a constant hunt for front chokes, guillotines, and back-takes; many of his submissions come in transitions. That style cuts both ways: he’s tremendously dangerous but also hittable, willing to eat shots to create the kind of wild fight where his pace and creativity can take over.

Current form & fight-style: Manel Kape

Manel “Starboy” Kape brings a different flavour of danger: explosive, technically sharp striking with knockout power that’s rare at flyweight. A former Rizin bantamweight champion, he’s now 21–7 as a pro with 14 KO/TKO wins and five submissions, emphasizing just how much of a finisher he is.

His recent form is excellent. After some early inconsistency in the UFC, Kape has found his groove and is currently on a two-fight knockout streak, stopping Bruno Silva and then halting Asu Almabayev’s 17-fight win streak with a third-round TKO in March 2025. Those wins, especially against the surging Almabayev, have re-established him as one of the division’s scariest contenders, and he’s been vocal about chasing a title shot next.

In terms of style, Kape fights with patient, counter-heavy pressure. He’ll often start slower, reading timing and footwork before exploding into tight punching combinations, flying knees, and powerful counters. His boxing is crisp, and he does a good job of slipping inside or outside and returning fire with interest. A key part of his evolution has been improved takedown defense and balance; in recent fights, he’s done a much better job at stuffing shots, framing off, and punishing opponents for desperate entries, rather than getting drawn into extended grappling exchanges.

Head-to-head

Officially, this will be their first meeting. However, there’s a lot of history in terms of bookings:

The fight was first scheduled for March 1, 2025 (UFC Fight Night 253), but Royval pulled out due to concussion issues and was replaced by Asu Almabayev. Kape went on to stop Almabayev by TKO.
It was rebooked for UFC 317 in June 2025, only for Kape to withdraw with a broken foot; Royval then faced Joshua Van instead and lost a thriller by decision.
Now it’s been re-rebooked as the main event of UFC on ESPN 73 on December 13, 2025, closing out the year and the ESPN era.

So while there’s no in-cage head-to-head data, there’s plenty of competitive tension: both men have had to watch the other get big opportunities on cards they were supposed to share.

Match analytics

Over five rounds, you’ve essentially got:

Royval: pace, chaos, cardio, and submission threats, but with defensive lapses and a tendency to get drawn into brawls where he eats clean counters.
Kape: sharper technical striking, real one-shot power for 125 lbs, improved wrestling defense, but occasionally low output and stretches of inactivity while he’s reading his opponent.

Given Royval’s durability and scrambling ability, we slightly lean towards a competitive fight that goes into the later rounds, but with Kape landing the cleaner, more impactful shots more often.

So, we predict Kape to win, likely by decision or a late-fight TKO if Royval’s defense unravels after extended damage. For now, only moneyline markets are launched on online sportsbooks.