UFC Vegas 112 Picks: Best Bets for the Final ESPN-Era Card

It’s the end of an era. UFC Vegas 112 takes place on December 13 from the UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada, and it marks the final UFC card in the ESPN era.

The UFC entered into a broadcasting agreement with ESPN in 2018, not long after the launch of ESPN+, with the promotion’s debut ESPN show happening in January 2019. And now, next month’s UFC 324 will mark the start of the UFC’s lucrative deal it signed with Paramount this past summer.

The main event of the evening will see Brandon Royval take on Manel Kape in a flyweight contenders’ bout, with featherweights Giga Chikadze and Kevin Vallejos set to do battle in the co-main event.

Brandon Royval vs. Manel Kape

These really are two of the best flyweights in the world. Royval has been a consistent presence toward the top of the flyweight division since arriving to the UFC in 2020. Kape, meanwhile, has displayed impressive power as he’s built his name in MMA.

This fight has been long awaited and delayed, but we finally get to see it go down. Kape’s power can bring the fight to a halt any moment, but Royval has the aggressiveness and durability to take a punch, as well as a ground game that can pose some trouble for Kape. Hopefully if a finish comes, it comes late, so we can see these two talented athletes go at it for a while.

BET: Royval vs. Kape OVER 3.5 rounds (FanDuel & DraftKings: -130)

Neil Magny vs. Yaroslav Amosov

This is a highly anticipated debut UFC fans should be looking forward to. Amosov is the former Bellator welterweight champion, winning his first 27 pro MMA fights that included wins over Douglas Lima, Logan Storley, and Ed Ruth. He’s a Sambo specialist and a former champion in that discipline, as well as jiu-jitsu. This means he should be able to hold his own if he and Magny throw down to see who the best grappler is.

In spite of his age and people’s thoughts that he’s on the downturn of his career, Magny continues to pull off finishes in his victories, holding his own against up-and-comers in the sport. Combine that with 20 finishes from Amosov, I’d be shocked if we heard the final horn this weekend.

BET: Magny vs. Amosov TO NOT GO THE DISTANCE (FanDuel & Caesars: -150)

Amanda Lemos vs. Gillian Robertson

Even more than the main event is this one your typical striker vs. grappler battle. Lemos possesses some strong boxing for the strawweight division, and the better of a groove she gets into, the better her power is.

Robertson, meanwhile, has shown to be a dangerous ground game expert. If she gets on top of her opponent, it’s probably game. She can bring some relentless ground-and-pound or chain up submissions until she scores the tap.

Hopefully this is a fun fight that can tell us about who is closer to a strawweight title shot.

BET: Lemos vs. Robertson TO GO THE DISTANCE (FanDuel: +116)