UFC Fight Night: Kennedy Nzechukwu vs Marcus Buchecha Preview & Prediction
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Heavyweights serve as the opening act of the final main card of 2025, with Kennedy Nzechukwu taking on BJJ wizard, Marcus Buchecha.
Kennedy Nzechukwu vs Marcus Buchecha facts
What time are Kennedy Nzechukwu and Marcus Buchecha expected to walk out?
Where is UFC Fight Night: Royval vs Kape? UFC Apex, Enterprise, USA
Where can I get tickets for UFC Fight Night: Royval vs Kape? Click here for the latest ticket information for UFC Fight Night: Royval vs Kape
What TV channel is UFC Fight Night: Royval vs Kape on? UK – TNT Sports / USA – ESPN+
Where can I stream UFC Fight Night: Royval vs Kape? UK – TNT Sports subscribers can stream the event online via the TNT Sports website and discovery+ / USA – ESPN+ & UFC Fight Pass
UFC Fight Night: Royval vs Kape main card
Brandon Royval vs Manel Kape (Flyweight)
Giga Chikadze vs Kevin Vallejos (Featherweight)
Cesar Almeida vs Cezary Oleksiejczuk (Middleweight)
Melquizael Costa vs Morgan Charriere (Featherweight)
Kennedy Nzechukwu vs Marcus Buchecha (Heavyweight)
King Green vs Lance Gibson Jr. (Catchweight - 160 lb)
UFC Fight Night: Royval vs Kape prelims
Amanda Lemos vs Gillian Robertson (Women’s Strawweight)
Joanderson Brito vs Isaac Thomson (Featherweight)
Neil Magny vs Yaroslav Amosov (Welterweight)
Sean Sharaf vs Steven Asplund (Heavyweight)
Melissa Croden vs Luana Santos (Women’s Bantamweight)
Allen Frye vs Guilherme Pat (Heavyweight)
Jamey-Lyn Horth vs Tereza Bleda (Women’s Flyweight)
Kennedy Nzechukwu: "African Savage" looks to regain his momentum at heavyweight after defeat last time out snapped a two fight winning streak
A UFC competitor since earning a contract on DWCS back in 2018, Kennedy Nzechukwu (14-6) looked to be taking to the heavyweight division like a duck to water following a move from 205 pounds in late 2024. A powerful striker who holds a KO win over current top light heavyweight contender, Carlos Ulberg, "African Savage" reeled off impressive back to back stoppages over Lukasz Brezski and Chris Barnett before running into the streaking Valter Walker last time out. The Brazilian brought Nzechukwu's momentum to a screeching halt with a vicious first round heel hook, handing the 33 year old Nigerian his first defeat in at his new weight class.
Marcus Buchecha: The BJJ phenom returns following a vastly underwhelming debut against Martin Buday
Arriving in the UFC with the reputation as one of the greatest BJJ practitioners of all time, things did not go exactly according to plan for Marcus Buchecha (5-2) in his UFC debut. The Brazilian was given a debut match up against fringe contender, Martin Buday, in a blatant attempt to fast track him into the heavyweight rankings, only for Buday to upset the applecart by earning the decision victory in one of the worst fights of the year. More comically still, Buday actually ended up being cut by the promotion in the immediate aftermath, despite being the ranked contender. On his best day, Buchecha channels his prodigious grappling skills to score submission victories in short order; he had only lost to ONE Championship's Oumar Kane prior to his defeat to Buday.
Kennedy Nzechukwu vs Marcus Buchecha prediction
In many senses, this is absolutely ruthless matchmaking from the UFC.
Nzechukwu's last performance saw him get heel hooked in the first round by Valter Walker, so the promotion's response is to feed him to one of the most credentialed BJJ MMA exports in recent memory. The promotion is that desperate to try and turn the credentialed Buchecha into a star in the stagnant heavyweight division that they're basically giving him a fighter that appears tailor made to lose by first round submission on paper.
However, people forget, man! Nzechukwu was actually on a decent little run at heavyweight before running into Walker, and he's got some serious power to boot. He may have only beaten Lukasz Brezski and Chris Barnett since moving up to 265 pounds, but he's proven himself capable of stopping low level heavyweights in devastating fashion.
While he's unquestionably elite when it comes to his BJJ, Buchecha has yet to prove that he's a cut above that level of competition. At 35, he's unlikely to add anything new to his MMA game, and the fighter who debuted against Martin Buday did not look cut out to hang with UFC level fighters; an even more damning indictment of the Brazilian's potential given the dismal current state of the heavyweight division. Buday isn't even known for his punching power; yet another concerning omen for the BJJ prodigy given Nzechukwu's heavy hands.
This either goes one of two ways; Buchecha ruthlessly exploits a hole in Nzechukwu's grappling to score a submission or gets slumped out cold with something murderous on the way in. Given that we've seen "African Savage" score finishes before, while the Brazilian has yet to even earn a UFC victory, it seems fair to favour Nzechukwu here.
Prediction: Kennedy Nzechukwu to win by TKO
