Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Flyweight talents Brandon Royval vs. Manel Kape will collide this weekend (Sat., Dec. 13, 2025) inside UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada, for UFC Vegas 112. Few benefitted more from Alexandre Pantoja’s nasty elbow dislocation than Royval — no longer does the current champion have two wins over him! Royval may […]
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Flyweight talents Brandon Royval vs. Manel Kape will collide this weekend (Sat., Dec. 13, 2025) inside UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada, for UFC Vegas 112.
Few benefitted more from Alexandre Pantoja’s nasty elbow dislocation than Royval — no longer does the current champion have two wins over him! Royval may have a loss to Joshua Van as well, but it’s just a single close defeat in one of the best bouts of 2025. The rematch would be an easy sell, and it doesn’t hurt that Royval holds a win over Tatsuro Taira, the likely No. 1 contender.
Kape has a big opportunity here to finally live up to his potential and gain big progress in the title picture. “Starboy” always seems close to putting it all together, but has thus far come up short in the biggest opportunities. Still, he’s won six of his last seven and is one of the division’s best strikers, so knocking off the No. 2-ranked contender in his first main event slot would be a major moment for his career.
Let’s take a closer look at the betting odds and strategic keys for each athlete:
Royval vs. Kape Betting Odds
- Brandon Royval victory: +230
- Brandon Royval via TKO/KO/DQ: +1200
- Brandon Royval via submission: +750
- Brandon Royval via decision: +550
- Manel Kape victory: -310
- Manel Kape via TKO/KO/DQ: +140
- Manel Kape via submission: +1000
- Manel Kape via decision: +240
- Odds via FanDuel Sportsbook
How Royval Wins
Royval is a gamer in every sense. He’s slick on the canvas and has developed a nice long range kickboxing game over the years, but what really separates Royval from the pack is his grittiness and ability to create finishes out of nowhere. If you’re looking for a Flyweight Carlos Condit, “Raw Dog” is your man.
This is a tricky matchup for Royval, which is why the odds are so long despite Royval being the more accomplished man overall. He’s not likely to get Kape to the floor, so he’s in for a striking battle against a faster and better boxer with more power overall.
There are two paths forward. On one hand, Royval could really hang back and try to make use of his kicking game and straight punches. He holds a significant edge in height and reach, and all of his recent developments have been toward maximizing his distance work. In all likelihood, this is the strategy Royval will try to employ: strand Kape at distance and win the volume game.
Alternatively … Royval could go old school. He could go after Kape and try to drown him in volume. He’ll get cracked in the process, sure, but Royval is built to take a punch. As long as he gets his own shots off afterward, he stands a fair chance at hurting “Star Boy” and creating a finishing sequence.
How Kape Wins
Kape is one hell of a fast-twitch athlete. He might have the quickest hands since John Dodson, but unlike “The Magician,” Kape fires more than just his left hand. He can explode into combinations and counters beautifully, but the great issue with Kape is that he’ll always leave you wondering why he doesn’t do more. Like Jorge Masvidal for most of his career, he’s a real sucker for losing a close decision due to inactivity.
So, as always, the first and most important key for Kape is a simple THROW PUNCHES! Lots of them! More than one at a time! The speed difference is going to be massive here, and Kape really doesn’t have to worry about Royval’s takedowns. He doesn’t want to run into a spinning elbow or something crazy, but Royval has moved away from wildness in an attempt to become “technical” … likely to Kape’s benefit.
Just like Van, Kape has the power and boxing skill to counter Royval as he enters exchanges. He can hurt “Raw Dog” and punish his high-volume attack by landing the more definitive shots. He should also be actively trying to answer kicks with combinations, which is a great way to proactively start exchanges and create connections.
Kape vs. Royval Prediction
I am a former Kape believer. After the horribly boring and disappointing event that was his Muhammad Mokaev performance — in which Kape defended a bunch of takedowns and threw no punches — I swore I would never buy into the hype again. I will never fully trust him to open up and throw volume, not again.
That said … Royval is going to make it really easy. He’s such a high-activity fighter that he’s going to play right into Kape’s hands. Even if he tries to hang back and poke at Kape, the speed difference will allow Kape to still find the mark. And if Kape’s winning at all, Royval’s only real answer is to turn up the heat (and get hit more as a result).
Royval via flying triangle choke or something similarly random is always possible, but that’s not his game anymore.
Prediction: Kape via decision
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Category: General Sports
