The final UFC fight of 2025, and on ESPN, was a short one. In a battle of flyweight contenders, Manel Kape made short work of Brandon Royval with a first-round knockout Saturday at UFC Vegas 112, earning his eighth win in his past nine fights.
With such a one-sided win over a one-time title challenger, Kape made his case for a title shot against new UFC flyweight champion Joshua Van, though he might have to get in line.
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The fight was fairly even for the first couple of minutes, but it ended almost immediately after Kape landed a right hook that left Royval falling to the mat. A few more strikes and referee Herb Dean had seen enough at the 3:18 mark of the opening round, even though Royval wasn’t happy with the stoppage.
Kape had a rude welcome to the UFC in 2021, suffering back-to-back losses to Alexandre Pantoja (a tough first assignment in retrospect) and Matheus Nicolau. Since then, he has been on a tear, earning three straight wins by finish since his last loss to Muhammad Mokaev. He was supposed to face Royval in June, but had to withdraw due to a broken foot.
Van took that spot and used it as a launching pad to his successful title shot against Pantoja, which he won via freak injury at UFC 323.
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Kape took the opportunity Saturday to call out the Houston-based champ. It was one of the more colorful callouts you will ever hear:
“Joshua Van, you have my belt. If I hadn’t broke my feet in July, I would be the champion right now. Now baby, listen very well. I’m here, your daddy. Your daddy is going to take your diapers, alive, on the new deal, Paramount deal. I’m going to take your diapers, alive.
“Be ready, because you are in Houston, right? Let’s fight in Houston in February, or whatever you want. Just sign the contract. Houston is my city.”
Kape’s win doesn’t make the UFC’s path forward at flyweight any simpler. Tatsuro Taira was quickly presented as a natural option for Van following his own win over Brandon Moreno at UFC 323, and Pantoja had the kind of run atop the division that warrants an immediate rematch as soon as he’s healthy. But Kape sure looks like a guy who can challenge for the belt soon.
Check out full UFC Vegas 112 results and highlights below.
Main card
Flyweight: Manel Kape def. Brandon Royval via TKO (punches) 3:18 of R1
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Featherweight: Kevin Vallejos def. Giga Chikadze via KO (spinning backfist) 1:29 of R2 | Watch finish
Middleweight: Cesar Almeida def. Cezary Oleksiejczuk via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Featherweight: Melquizael Costa def. Morgan Charriere via KO (head kick) at 1:14 of R1 | Watch finish
Heavyweight: Kennedy Nzechukwu vs. Marcus Buchecha ends in a draw (28-28, 28-28, 28-28) | Nzechukwu penalized for eye-poke
160-pound catchweight: King Green def. Lance Gibson Jr. via split decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29)
Preliminary card
Welterweight: Yaroslav Amosov def. Neil Magny via submission (anaconda choke) at 3:14 of R1 | Watch finish
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Featherweight: Joanderson Brito def. Isaac Thomson via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Heavyweight: Steven Asplund def. Sean Sharaf via TKO (punches) at 3:49 of R2 | Watch finish
Women’s bantamweight: Luana Santos def. Melissa Croden via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
Heavyweight: Guilherme Pat def. Allen Frye via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Women’s flyweight: Jamey-Lyn Horth def. Tereza Bleda via TKO (punches) at 2:05 of R1 | Watch finish
Amanda Lemos vs. Gillian Robertson was canceled Saturday afternoon due to “a medical issue,” per UFC.
