Happy Holidays: The UFC Delivers One More Card Before the New Year

UFC 323 was everything we hoped and more. Not only did we see both titles change hands, but we also saw plenty of exciting fights, increasing the potential for great matchups next year.  

In terms of bets, we didn’t go crazy, but we still profited with +1.00 Unit, and we now sit at a comfortable +24.475 Units of profit going into the last UFC card of the year. If you’ve been along for the ride with us since March, congratulations on making it this far and reaping the benefits. We’re looking forward to taking it up a notch in 2026!

As for UFC Vegas 112, we still have one more card to try and add to our bankroll heading into next year. While mixed reviews are heading into fight night, we could do a lot worse for an APEX card. There’s an elite main event, a strong main card, and some preliminary fights that could surprise us. Let’s dive into the last card of the year, and don’t forget to check back later in the week for our UFC Vegas 112 best bets.

UFC VEGAS 112 MAIN CARD BREAKDOWN

Brandon Royval

3.30

1.35

Manel Kape

This is a pay-per-view level fight headlining UFC Vegas 112. Manel Kape is one of the more exciting UFC flyweights, but he’s fairly inactive due to injuries. Since 2021, Kape has only fought five times, going 4-1 in that span. His lone loss was against the wrestling specialist, Muhammad Mokaev, who has since been cut by the UFC. At 32, Kape has a lot of room to grow given his skill set and experience, but staying healthy will always be an issue. He’s a phenomenal striker who excels on the backfoot, and only struggles against good grapplers.

Since the Mokaev loss, Kape knocked out Bruno Silva and Asu Almabayev, two solid showings since December. He was supposed to fight Brandon Royval back in June, but had to pull out due to injury. Royval, on the other hand, has been fairly active during that time. He’s 5-2 since 2001 and has only lost to Alexandre Pantoja and Joshua Van, the two fighters who just fought in a title fight last week. While his past two wins were split decisions, they came against Brandon Moreno and Tatsuro Taira. 

Even though Royval has a four-inch height advantage, the reach is identical. Both fighters fight at a distance, using their length, and have a solid arsenal of attacks. Kape’s low kicks are devastating, and he incorporates calculated strikes up top. Royval is more of a wild, multi-combination style striker. Royval should also be the better grappler, but it’s safe to assume this fight stays mostly on the feet. The technical parts of this should be exciting, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see this fight end in a close decision.

Giga Chikadze

3.40

1.33

Kevin Vallejos

Heading into his fight with Calvin Kattar, Giga Chikadze was looking like an exciting title challenger. His kicks were demoralizing; he started his UFC career 7-0 and even finished Cub Swanson and Edson Barboza in 2021. Since losing an epic fight against Kattar in 2022, Chikadze has fought just three times with a 1-2 record. After beating Alex Caceres, he lost the next two fights via decision to Arnold Allen and David Onama. He now gets rising prospect Kevin Vallejos in a co-main showdown at UFC Vegas 112.

Kevin Vallejos was mostly known for losing a great fight to Jean Silva, but his UFC run started with a bang. He finished his first two fights in the first round, before a competitive back-and-forth against Danny Silva. Even though Vallejos was a big favorite and looked like an easy pick to win, Silva didn’t make it easy. It was a closely contested fight with Vallejos getting his hand raised. With all the hype, that was a return-to-Earth performance. 

This fight should stay on the feet, and it will come down to who can land the bigger shots to slow their opponent down. Both guys have solid power and technique, with the slight edge to the more experienced Chizadze. The big difference here is the kicking game. Chikadze is a true technical kickboxer and could do most of his damage on the outside. Vallejos is most successful in the boxing range, and he will need to work tirelessly to get inside the kicking range of Chikadze. After Vallejos’ last fight, this line is surprising, but Chikadze’s recent form makes it hard to see him get his hand raised.

Cesar Almeida

2.70

1.48

Cezary Oleksiejczuk

After two fights with fairly well-known fighters, Cesar Almeida and Cezary Oleksiejczuk enter the main card hungry to prove their worth. Almeida is just 7-1 in MMA, but has a kickboxing career as well. He is a pure striker with a non-existent ground game so far, but has already proven that he’s a force to be reckoned with. He’s 4-1 in the UFC with a split decision loss to Roman Kopylov. Most recently, Almeida knocked out Abdul Razak Alhassan in devastating fashion. 

Oleksiejczuk is making his UFC debut after a strong regional scene and a massive, less-than-one-minute win on Dana White’s Contender Series. Like his brother, Oleksiejczuk has good punching power and is now riding a three-fight first-round finish streak heading into UFC Vegas 112. While has hasn’t fought in the UFC as much as Almeida, he’s the far more experienced MMA fighter.

It would be interesting to see if Oleksiejczuk chooses to grapple. While he’s always been more of a stand-and-bang fighter, Almeida’s lack of history in the grappling game and prototypical kickboxing style could be a huge advantage for Oleksiejczuk if he can get it to the ground. If this fight stays standing, it seems unlikely it gets to the judges’ scorecards.       

Melquizael Costa

1.95

1.86

Morgan Charriere

This has all the makings of a fight of the night contest. Melquizael Costa is on a strong run after losing to the surging Steve Garcia. He’s 4-0 since then against good competition. His conditioning and striking were issues in the past, but he’s improved drastically and his grappling is impressive. He was able to compete with Christian Rodriguez’s wrestling, and has two submission wins over his last four wins. 

Morgan Charriere had plenty of hype coming out of Cage Warriors as a champion, but he’s just 3-2 in the UFC. He lost a close split decision to Chepe Mariscal, and was bested by Nathaniel Wood on the feet. He’s coming off a massive knockout win over Nate Landwehr, and there’s no question that his kickboxing and power are his best assets. He’s finished his all three of his UFC wins and continues to rack up the style points

This is an interesting matchup given both fighters’ style and paths to victory. Costa has been finished in the past, but his ability to survive over his last four fights show an improved level of defense nad a desire to get the fight where he’s most dangerous. The big question for him is if he can get Charriere down. If this fight stays on the feet, there’s no doubting that Charriere is the better striker and could find a way to finish the fight if he avoids the ground.

Kennedy Nzechukwu

1.80

2.05

Marcus Buchecha

Of all the lines on this card, this one is the most shocking. Kennedy Nzechukwu has struggled with grapplers in the past, but Marcus Buchecha is just 5-2 in MMA overall and couldn’t get anything going against Martin Buday. He looked tired as the fight wore on, and his striking is was subpar, at best. He was 5-1 in ONE FC, but that simply hasn’t translated to the UFC. 

Nzechukwu should have a solid reach advantage and the overall upperhand in the striking department. If he can keep this fight on the feet, it’s his fight to lose. After his previous showing, Buchecha should be hungry to improve on his UFC debut, but he will need to work tirelessly to get the fight to the ground. Based on everything we’ve seen from both fighters, it’s hard not to take a chance on Nzechukwu based on experience and his ability to manage distance on the feet.   

UFC 323 was such a fantastic night of fights that UFC Vegas 112 could be a complete dud, and fans would still be happy with how the year ended. Royval and Kape should deliver, as long as they both make it to fight night, and several fighters should make a strong case for their UFC careers heading into 2026.