*Brandon Royval lands a thunderous knee on Matheus Nicolau. Credit: Zuffa LLC.*

The UFC returns to its headquarters at the APEX with an outstanding Fight Night card. The entire card is packed with excellent matchups and exciting fighters, all looking to prove themselves on the biggest stage in the sport. In the co-main event, two dangerous strikers will collide when powerful kickboxer Giga Chikadze takes on surging prospect Kevin Vallejos. In the main event, two top-ranked Flyweights go toe-to-toe when the always-dangerous Brandon Royval squares off against a flashy striker in Manel Kape. Let’s take a look at the fights on the main card.

King Green vs. Lance Gibson Jr.

*King Green tags Jim Miller with a stiff jab. Credit: Zuffa LLC.*

Lightweight Bout

King Green: 32-17-1, 11 KO/TKO, 9 Sub.

Lance Gibson Jr.: 9-1-0, 4 KO/TKO, 3 Sub.

Green has won two of his last five fights and has UFC victories over Grant Dawson (23-3-1), Nasrat Haqparast (18-6-0), and Jim Miller (38-19-0). He is an excellent boxer who picks his opponents apart with quick, heavy hands. He’s rarely in a boring fight, always willing to go to the center of the octagon and exchange blows. Green fights with his hands low, remaining unpredictable and never telegraphing his strikes. He fights behind his jab, keeping his strikes sharp and straight while constantly attacking from different angles and varying his targets. Training at Pinnacle MMA, he’s a solid wrestler and averages over one takedown landed per fifteen minutes, but generally looks to keep the fight standing. Green has been fighting professionally since 2008 and has earned various UFC Lightweight records, including the most significant strikes landed (1864), and the most total strikes landed (2091) all time.

*Lance Gibson Jr. exchanges blows with Vladimir Tokov. Credit: MMA Fighting.*

Gibson has won four of his last five bouts and is making his UFC debut. He’s an aggressive grappler with excellent wrestling skills and solid punching power. He’s constantly moving and feinting when on his feet, throwing every shot with power and blasting his opponent with kicks from range. Gibson will typically shoot for a takedown early on and has solid entries and timing, particularly with his double legs. He’s heavy on top and very aggressive, constantly landing ground and pound shots and looking to posture up. Training at Gibson Kickboxing, he’s efficient in top position, rarely wasting energy or getting sloppy, and has solid scrambles, typically finding himself in the dominant position on the mat. Gibson is always in pursuit of a finish and rarely sees the judges scorecards, with all of his last four fights ending in the first round.

Kennedy Nzechukwu vs. Marcus Buchecha

*Kennedy Nzechukwu lands a powerful kick to the body of Chris Barnett. Credit: MMA Junkie.*

Heavyweight Bout

Kennedy Nzechukwu: 14-6-0, 10 KO/TKO, 1 Sub.

Marcus Buchecha: 5-2-0, 1 KO/TKO, 4 Sub.

Nzechukwu has won two of his last five outings and holds UFC victories over #3 ranked Light Heavyweight Carlos Ulberg (14-1-0), Chris Barnett (23-10-0), and Ion Cutelaba (19-11-1). He’s a lengthy striker with fast hands and serious power. He has very fluid striking, keeping his head off the centerline and his hands low before unloading long, heavy shots. Nzechukwu varies his shots well, regularly firing heavy body and leg kicks before closing the distance and letting his hands go. He has solid distance management and is constantly pressuring his opponent, forcing them to the outside of the cage and controlling the pace of the fight. Training at War Room MMA, he is exceptionally durable and has proven his ability to survive in deep waters multiple times in the UFC. Nzechukwu heats up as the fight continues, having scored seven of his eleven finish victories after round one.

*Marcus Buchecha attempts to secure a kimura on Martin Buday. Credit: MMA Fighting.*

Buchecha has won three of his last five fights and is looking for his first UFC victory. He’s a highly accomplished BJJ practitioner, holding a spot in the IBJJF Hall of Fame and various gold medals in high-level competition. He’s not a particularly technical striker but has solid power in his hands and a good chin. Buchecha usually won’t waste much time before attempting a takedown, typically a powerful blast double leg, and will quickly establish a dominant position on the mat. Once the fight hits the mat, he’s very efficient and tough to get away from, rarely wasting energy or losing control of his opponent. Training at American Top Team, he’s always working for a finish in top position and can find submissions with impressive speed, from seemingly any position. Buchecha has proven to be a quick finisher in his brief MMA career, having secured all his victories in 3:30 or less.

Melquizael Costa vs. Morgan Charrière

*Melquizael Costa lands a vicious knee on Julian Erosa. Credit: Ag. Fight.*

Featherweight Bout

Melquizael Costa: 24-7-0, 7 KO/TKO, 8 Sub.

Morgan Charrière: 21-11-1, 13 KO/TKO, 3 Sub.

Costa has won four of his last five bouts and holds UFC victories coming over Julian Erosa (31-13-0), Shayilan Nuerdanbieke (39-12-0), and Andre Fili (25-12-0). He’s a well-rounded scrapper with impressive power in his hands and excellent grappling. He has an outstanding arsenal of kicks, regularly unloading powerful shots to the head and body from range before blitzing into the pocket to throw power punches. Training at Chute Boxe JE, Costa typically doesn’t absorb much damage, utilizing solid footwork, head movement, and distance management to remain elusive. He’s averaging nearly two takedowns landed and over one submission attempted per fifteen minutes, and is very active on the ground, whether in top or bottom position. He’s constantly looking to improve or posture up and has outstanding sweeps and reversals. Costa is most dangerous early on, with nine of his fifteen finish victories coming in round one.

*Morgan Charrière batters Nate Landwehr against the cage. Credit: Bloody Elbow.*

Charrière has won three of his last five outings, with UFC victories coming over Nate Landwehr (18-7-0), Manolo Zecchini (11-4-0), and Gabriel Miranda (17-8-0). He’s a well-rounded fighter who’s willing to engage the fight anywhere and is always dangerous. Training with Team Chapa Quente, he’s a technical striker with substantial power in his hands and brutal leg kicks. Charrière has excellent footwork and is very defensively sound, taking minimal damage and always keeping his head off the centerline. He remains calm and technical throughout and won’t get pulled into dogfights, typically forcing his opponents to the outside and picking them apart with precise, clean shots. On the ground, he has great top control and heavy ground and pound, especially his elbows. Charrière has gone five rounds multiple times in his career and has great cardio, often increasing his pace and output as the fight progresses.

César Almeida vs. Cezary Oleksiejczuk

*César Almeida stuns Ihor Potieria with a heavy right hand. Credit: MMA Fighting.*

Middleweight Bout

César Almeida: 7-1-0, 5 KO/TKO, 0 Sub.

Cezary Oleksiejczuk: 16-3-0, 9 KO/TKO, 2 Sub.

Almeida has won four of his last five fights and has UFC victories over Abdul Razak Alhassan (12-7-0), Dylan Budka (7-5-0), and Ihor Potieria (20-8-0). A former professional kickboxer, he held a record of 47-8-2 with 27 wins by knockout. He’s an outstanding striker, always accurate and technical, throwing every shot purposefully. Almeida varies his shots well, attacking the head, legs, and body while mixing kicks into combinations without telegraphing. Training at Teixeira MMA, he carries his power throughout the fight and has excellent counterstriking and head movement. His best shot is his straight right, and he’s most comfortable controlling the center of the octagon and the pace of the fight. Almeida won’t usually initiate grappling exchanges, but has shown continued improvement on the ground and will land brutal ground and pound if in top position.

*Cezary Oleksiejczuk lands a stinging right hand on Theo Haig. Credit: Zuffa LLC.*

Oleksiejczuk has won four of his last five bouts and is making his UFC debut. He’s a hard-hitting striker who’s always coming forward, looking to do damage. He fights behind his jab and throws everything with speed and power, but won’t get sloppy and keeps his punches accurate and straight. Oleksiejczuk has excellent distance management and will control the center of the cage, forcing his opponent to the outside and applying constant pressure. Training with the Fighting Nerds, he won’t usually take the fight to the mat, but has excellent takedown defense and is dangerous in top position. He has solid cardio and has gone five rounds multiple times, consistently pushing a heavy pace throughout his fights. Oleksiejczuk has finished his last three outings in the first round and is always in pursuit of a highlight-reel finish.

#15 Giga Chikadze vs. Kevin Vallejos

*Giga Chikadze lands a powerful kick to the head of Alex Caceres. Credit: MMA Mania.*

Featherweight Bout

Giga Chikadze: 15-5-0, 9 KO/TKO, 1 Sub.

Kevin Vallejos: 16-1-0, 11 KO/TKO, 2 Sub.

Chikadze has won two of his last five outings and has UFC victories over Edson Barboza (24-14-0), Cub Swanson (30-14-0), and Alex Caceres (21-15-0). He’s an excellent kickboxer with heavy hands and devastating body kicks. Training at Kings MMA, Chikadze is a former professional kickboxer with a record of 38-8-0 with 22 knockouts. He’s unlikely to take the fight to the mat but has excellent takedown defense and is strong inside the clinch, able to land significant damage without much space. Holding a third Dan black belt in Goju-ryu karate, he has exceptionally educated feet and never telegraphs his attacks. He’s proven to possess one-shot knockout power in both his hands and kicks, capable of finishing opponents with kicks to the body. He’s outlanded his opponents in all his UFC victories and is capable of throwing both with volume and power.

*Kevin Vallejos fires a heavy uppercut at Seung Woo Choi. Credit: MMA Mania.*

Vallejos is on a five-fight win streak, holding UFC victories over Seung Woo Choi (11-8-0) and Danny Silva (10-2-0). He’s an outstanding striker with excellent punching power and counterstriking. He throws every shot with knockout intentions, regularly adding low kicks to the end of punch combinations. Vallejos has terrific footwork and distance management, regularly looking to slip punches and return fire. Training at Brothers of Life MMA, he remains technical throughout and won’t telegraph shots, entering the pocket at different angles and opening combinations with different punches. He won’t typically pursue takedowns, but he’s a solid grappler with heavy top control and ground and pound. Vallejos pushes a heavy pace and rarely sees the judges’ scorecards, with eight of his thirteen finish victories coming in the first round.

#2 Brandon Royval vs. #6 Manel Kape

*Brandon Royval lands a crushing left hand on Brandon Moreno. Credit: Zuffa LLC.*

Flyweight Bout

Brandon Royval: 17-8-0, 4 KO/TKO, 9 Sub.

Manel Kape: 21-7-0, 13 KO/TKO, 5 Sub.

Royval has won three of his last five fights and has UFC victories over #4 ranked Flyweight Brandon Moreno (23-9-2), #3 ranked Flyweight Tatsuro Taira (18-1-0), and Kai Kara-France (25-12-0). He’s a wild brawler who pushes a crazy pace and is dangerous anywhere the fight goes. Training with Mile High Militia, “Raw Dawg” has been awarded six post-fight bonuses in eleven bouts in the promotion and always leaves everything in the cage. Royval is dangerous in any position on the ground, always working to improve and searching for submissions. He throws everything in combination on the feet and is always coming forward, looking to do damage. He’s willing to hang in the pocket and exchange, and has proven to be highly durable with an excellent ability to recover from damage. Royval has set multiple Flyweight records in his five-year UFC tenure, including the most significant strikes attempted in a fight (510), most total strikes both attempted (556) and landed (281) in a fight, and the most head strikes landed in a fight (248).

*Manel Kape blasts Asu Almabayev with a right hook. Credit: Bloody Elbow.*

Kape has won four of his last five bouts, with UFC victories coming over #7 ranked Flyweight Asu Almabayev (23-3-0), #14 ranked Flyweight Bruno Silva (14-6-2), and Felipe dos Santos (8-3-0). He is a former Rizin Bantamweight champion and is a fantastic, flashy striker. He’s constantly looking to counterstrike, slipping punches and throwing every shot with purpose and deadly accuracy. Kape has excellent distance management, switches stances constantly, and will often blitz in with big shots before returning to range. He has heavy power for a Flyweight and doesn’t telegraph anything, frequently timing his shots when his opponent enters his range. Training at Xtreme Couture, he won’t typically initiate grappling exchanges but has a solid submission game and can be dangerous off his back. Kape takes some time to get going, but once he finds his rhythm, he heats up and lets his hands go.

UFC Fight Night: Royval vs. Kape Preview