Brandon Royval vs Manel Kape – UFC on ESPN

Hello and welcome to our Brandon Royval vs Manel Kape prediction page. We are going to dissect the upcoming UFC fight in Las Vegas between these two well-supported warriors. In the text, we will look at both fighters individually and think about form, latest news so we can properly assess who we believe will end up with their arm lifted after the 5 scheduled rounds of action.

This meeting in the octagon has been a long time in the making. It has twice been called off this year, firstly when Royval pulled out with a concussion in March, and then Kape had to cancel in June with a broken foot. The two will finally meet on the 13th December, which will be an early Christmas present for fans. They’ll hope it’s 3rd time lucky to get to see these two in action! Let’s also hope the 13th isn’t unlucky for some, ok enough of these puns now!

This eagerly awaited fight will see no world title on the line, but it will see two fighters who have been itching to step into the Octagon to face each other ready for war. They are two of the most exciting UFC fighters to watch. Kape has a wide range of attacks in his arsenal and likes to finish fights quickly with his knee drops and explosive punching power. Royval will look to contain that with his Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu grappling style and his chaotic attacking, which means we are looking at a fight with the capacity to go either way.

What is the latest news?

When making a Brandon Royval vs Manel Kape prediction it’s worth looking at the latest news. The main thing from both camps is that both fighters are fully fit after the last two attempts to make this bout fell through. Royval is fuming that Kape has called his previous injury for the 2nd fight nothing more than fear of facing him! Kape has certainly been stirring the pot and will want to back his words up with action on Saturday.

Brandon Royval

• Nationality: American 🇺🇸
• Record –  17-8-0 (4 KO, 9 Submission, 4 decision)
• Age: 33
• Height: 5”9
• Reach: 68 inches

A brutal competitor Royval likes to take his opponents down quickly and in style. Usually, he forces them to submit after one of his numerous brutal attacks. He has lost 4 of his last 9, however, so isn’t coming into this with much form. He challenged and lost to the Flyweight champ Alexandre Pantoja back in 2023 via decision. He has to be fair, been facing the cream of the division in his recent bouts. His victory by decision over Brandon Moreno 3 bouts ago was a great watch. It worth noting as well that his two outings since then, a win and a loss, have both been awarded the fight of the night.

Manel Kape

• Nationality: Angolan 🇦🇴
• Record –  22-7-0 (14 KO’s, 5 Submissions, 3 Decisions)
• Age: 32
• Height: 5”5
• Reach: 68 inches

A former bantamweight world champion Kape is looking to become a two-weight world champion with his return to flyweight back in 2021. Beating Royval would give him a good claim to making a title bout as he works his way up the rankings. He has won 6 of his last 7 and looks in tremendous form coming into this. He, like his opponent, is no stranger to Fight of the Night and Performance of the Night awards. His TKO of Asu Almabayev in March, after this match-up was cancelled, was a terrific performance. It’s one he has promised he would repeat in his next bout against Royval.

Who is on the rest of the Fight Card?

As a UFC Betting tip or just for a bit of fight night fun, you can try your luck with a small accumulator on the rest of this night’s fight card. There’s plenty of action, including 3 women’s bouts and a men’s heavyweight clash, which can often be explosive.

• Featherweight – Giga Chikadze vs.Kevin Vallejos
• Heavyweight Kennedy Nzechukwu vs.Marcus Buchecha
• Featherweight Joanderson Brito vs.Melsik Baghdasaryan
• Women’s Strawweight – Amanda Lemos vs. Gillian Robertson
• Featherweight -Melquizael Costa vs. Morgan Charrière
• Middleweight César Almeida vs. Cezary Oleksiejczuk
• Women’s Bantamweight – Melissa Croden vs.Luana Santos
• Women’s Flyweight-Jamey-Lyn Horth vs.Tereza Bledá

Where to watch Brandon Royval vs Manel Kape

As the event’s name suggests, the whole fight card, including Brandon Royval vs Manel Kape will be shown live and exclusive via ESPN in the USA. UK viewers have a few options with discovery+ and TNT Sports’ TV channels offering their own coverage via platforms such as Sky, BT and Virgin Media. Other worldwide viewers are advised to check national TV schedules on their versions of those services.

You may also find streaming options of preliminary fights on betting websites. Check streaming terms and conditions on individual operators.

Prediction for Brandon Royval vs Manel Kape

Ok let’s think about some Brandon Royval vs Manel Kape betting tips and give you our final

Brandon Royval vs Manel Kape prediction. We are potentially looking at a fight for the ages between these two great warriors. In terms of their physical stats, there is not much to choose between height, reach, weight and age. Despite this, Kape is showing as a major favourite for the fight, he is in better form and has been in fewer all-out wars recently than Royval so he should have conditioning on his side. I think he has the fighting intelligence to outthink Royval and contend with his grappling. I’m with the bookies that Kape wins this, though I’m not writing Royval off, so I’m simply saying this fight won’t be going to the judges.