Athletes
Brandon Royval | 'I want it all'
Flyweight Brandon Royval Is Hungry Going Into His Fight This Saturday Against Rising Contender Joshua Van At UFC 317: Topuria vs Oliveira
When I spoke to Brandon Royval before his UFC 317 bout with Manel Kape was scrapped due to injury, I asked him if the fight with the number-six ranked “Starboy” was a title eliminator.
“I don't count on anything,” said Royval. “I just plan on going there and whooping ass.”
And if he beat Kape, the number one-ranked Royval would have a win over all the fighters below him in the flyweight top six except Amir Albazi, who he has never fought. That list includes the man fighting Alexandre Pantoja for the 125-pound belt this weekend, Kai Kara-France.
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Royval ended up getting a fight, and a good one at that, when rising star Joshua Van stepped up on short notice to replace Kape on Saturday. It’s a stellar matchup, but Van is ranked 12th in the world, which might not mean a title shot for the Coloradan if he wins, despite sporting a pair of victories over Brandon Moreno and Tatsuro Taira heading into this fight.
Those odds may get longer if Pantoja retains his title, with the Brazilian having already bested Royval twice. But those negative thoughts don’t enter the mind of the 32-year-old. He’s all about winning, and if five years in the UFC have taught him anything, it’s that if the dubs keep coming, he’ll get what he deserves.
So all Royval is focusing on is Van and what happens when the Octagon door shuts at T-Mobile Arena. And he’s embracing that number one spot, something he wasn’t necessarily thinking about when he made his UFC debut against Tim Elliott in May of 2020.
RELATED: Significant Stats | UFC 317: Topuria vs Oliveira
“When I was walking out with Tim Elliott, I remember thinking that I was just happy to be there,” said Royval. “I was happy to get a t-shirt. (Laughs) I was happy to experience the UFC, and I was happy to just tell everybody that I made it. And I remember thinking it wasn't going to be anything. I was going to be like, all right, I'm going to come here, hopefully win a fight. Maybe not. But I got the shirt and I made it to the UFC, and that's cooler than anything I've ever known anybody else to do. So, in my head, I didn't really have high expectations of myself. It took a while to finally just be like, all right, I think I'm one of the best in the world.”
All it took was that debut submission of Elliott and an equally thrilling finish of Kai Kara-France four months later as one of the most exciting in the world. But it was an ensuing three-fight winning streak that saw him beat Rogerio Bontorin, Matt Schnell and Matheus Nicolau that earned him a title shot and established him as one of the top flyweights in the world.
He fell short of winning the title, dropping a decision to Pantoja in December of 2023, but, at this point, there are no doubts when it comes to his standing at 125 pounds. He earned a lot of wins and received a lot of t-shirts since that Elliott fight, and he believes the turning point in his confidence level took place in a fight that wasn’t even his.
“I think when I saw Brandon Moreno win the belt, I was like, oh, I'm up here with everybody,” said Royval. “I know I didn't win our first fight. I dislocated my shoulder, but I felt like I was beating him on the feet. I had him in danger a little bit on the ground, and I just remember thinking like, oh, he's a champion. I could swim with these guys. And my mindset kind of changed, like, okay, I'm not just here for a couple of pictures or memories. I'm here to take over. I'm here to take everything from these guys.”
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Royval evened the score with Moreno in Mexico City in February of last year. Then he handed Taira his first pro loss in October. Now he’s got Van in his sights. What’s next? You know the answer to that question, but we’ll leave it to him.
“I want it all.”
UFC 317: Topuria vs Oliveira took place live from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on June 28, 2025. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!
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