Ryan Wohl gives his picks for the final UFC Fight Night event of 2025, headlined by Brandon Royval vs. Manel Kape.

Saturday night, the UFC hosts its final event of 2025, headlined by a Flyweight bout between Brandon Royval and Manel Kape. This is also the UFC’s last event airing live on ESPN, as they begin a partnership with Paramount+ in January. No. 15 Giga Chikadze faces Kevin Vallejos in a three-round Featherweight bout in the co-main event.

The Prelims begin at 7:00 p.m. ET, with the Main Card starting at 10:00 p.m. ET on ESPN+ and ESPN2. Check out my favorite fighters to add to your daily fantasy lineup for Saturday’s UFC Fight Night.

Set your DraftKings fantasy MMA lineups here: UFC $350K Throwdown [$100K to 1st]

Kevin Vallejos ($9,100)

Kevin Vallejos is taking on UFC veteran Giga Chikadze in the co-main event of this card. Chikadze began his UFC career 7-0, but he has since gone 13 -13 in his previous four contests. Physically, Chikadze is the bigger fighter, as he is five inches taller (6’0″ vs. 5’7″) and has a six-inch longer reach (74″ vs. 68″).

At 24 years old, Vallejos has looked like a future title contender in the UFC. He has won five straight contests, with four of them coming by finish. Since he has the height and reach disadvantage, Vallejos will need to be aggressive while pushing Chikadze backwards.

In his last fight, Vallejos only recorded 78.2 fantasy points, but had 108.2 in his UFC debut. Vallejos has 13 wins by finish and has won by knockout or submission in three of his last four. Even though it’s a small sample size in the UFC, Vallejos is averaging over six significant strikes per minute, which is impressive. If Vallejos controls the pace of this bout, he has all the tools to beat Chikadze and make an elite fantasy impact.

Kennedy Nzechukwu ($8,400)

Kennedy Nzechukwu started his Heavyweight career 2-0 with two first-round knockouts. But then he was submitted by Valter Walker in the first round in July. Now Nzechukwu returns against Marcus Buchecha, who lost his UFC debut against Martin Buday in July. This is an excellent opportunity for Nzechukwu to get back in the win column.

Although Nzechukwu only totaled 0.1 in his last fight, he finished with at least 110 fantasy points in his two fights before that. Nzechukwu has the height (6’5″ vs. 6’2″) and reach (83″ vs. 77″) advantages in this contest. That should allow him to control the distance in this bout while pressuring Buchecha and unloading power punches.

Nzechukwu has finished with at least 90 points in five of his last eight bouts. With his long-standing reach and elite athleticism, Nzechukwu should translate that into plenty of success in this contest. If Nzechukwu stuffs Buchecha’s takedown attempts, it should be one-way traffic on the feet.

Brandon Royval ($7,000)

Brandon Royval is coming off a loss to the new Flyweight Champion Joshua Van at UFC 317. But Royval still put on a tremendous performance in that bout, landing over 200 significant strikes. Also, in the last three years, Royval has gone 4-2 with his two losses coming against the previous two 125-pound champions, Van and Alexandre Pantoja. Royval is now taking on another elite striker with Manel Kape.

Even though Royval is facing a talented opponent in Kape, it was still surprising to see him being priced at $7,000, the second-cheapest fighter on this card. Royval has been an elite fantasy performer, totaling at least 96 points in four of his last six contests. Also in that span, he hasn’t had fewer than 86 points. Royval scored 86.2 and 89.8 points in his previous two losses.

In this contest, Royval is four inches taller (5’9″ vs. 5’5″), while both fighters have a 68″ standing reach. Royval averages more significant strikes per minute (5.55 vs. 5.04), while Kape is the more accurate striker (55% vs. 41%). Kape does have more power in his hands, but Royval has shown he can stand with anyone, as his striking is improving.

Although Royval only lands 0.67 takedowns per 15 minutes, he is a good submission artist, with nine wins by submission. If Royval doesn’t allow Kape to land his big power punches while having a high volume of strikes on the feet, he should be able to find success. Also, at only $7,000, Royval has the potential to be a lineup-winning contributor.

Set your DraftKings fantasy MMA lineups here: UFC $350K Throwdown [$100K to 1st]