Brazilian jiu-jitsu legend Marcus Buchecha is set to make his second appearance inside the octagon, squaring off against Kennedy Nzechukwu on December 13 at UFC Vegas 112. The event will serve as the promotion’s final card of 2025 and the last show to air on ESPN+ for the year.
The year-end showcase at the UFC APEX will be headlined by a five-round flyweight clash between Brandon Royval and Manel Kape with several compelling matchups rounding out the card.
Buchecha enters this contest looking to rebound from a challenging promotional debut this past July. The decorated grappler, who holds a 5-2 professional record, struggled with his conditioning against Martin Buday and ultimately dropped a decision. Prior to joining the UFC, Buchecha had established an impressive finishing rate with ONE Championship where he secured all five of his victories by first-round stoppage.
His opponent Nzechukwu brings a 14-6 record to the matchup and is similarly seeking to bounce back from a setback. The light heavyweight experienced a first-round heel hook defeat to Valter Walker in July, marking just the second submission loss of his 20-bout professional career.
The December card will also showcase rising featherweight talent Melquizael Costa, who takes on Morgan Charriere. Costa has been on an impressive tear, stringing together four consecutive victories over an 11-month period. His recent success includes stoppage wins over Shayilan Nuerdanbieke and Andre Fili capped off by a decision triumph against Julian Erosa that earned him a $50,000 Match of the Night bonus.
Charriere, a former Cage Warriors featherweight champion, has compiled a 21-11-1 record and won three of his five UFC appearances. The French standout has collected performance bonuses in four of those outings and is coming off a knockout victory over Nate Landwehr in July.
Additional confirmed bouts include a middleweight matchup between kickboxing specialist Cesar Almeida and Poland’s Cezary Oleksiejczuk, while featherweights Joanderson Brito and Melsik Baghdasaryan will also compete on the card.
