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Five Brandon Royval Fights To Watch Before UFC 296
Look Back At Some Of The Flyweights Best Fights Before He Goes After The Title Against Alexandre Pantoja In The UFC 296 Co-Main Event.
Plenty of fighters say they want to be the most exciting on the roster or in their division, but few actually back those words up with any sort of quality. Sometimes, the penchant for exciting fights gets an athlete in trouble, and they have to adjust their style to something more calculated for the sake of getting positive results.
Brandon Royval is not that way. Since he made his debut in May 2020, “Raw Dawg” has always brought a hurricane-like frenzy into the Octagon, and he has the bonuses and highlights to back that up. Before he gets his first shot at UFC gold at UFC 296 in a rematch against Alexandre Pantoja, take a look at Royval’s thrilling body of work to this point:
Vs Tim Elliott
Our introduction to Royval was fitting as he fought fellow crazyman Tim Elliott in his UFC debut. The fight was as chaotic and frantic as you could imagine, but after weathering an early storm, Royval found his rhythm against the awkward Elliott style.
Order UFC 296: Edwards vs Covington
For their efforts, they earned the Fight of the Night bonus, but Royval was somber afterwards, feeling like he had much more to give in the fight.
Vs Kai Kara-France
Royval’s “no easy fights” streak continued in his sophomore outing as he faced flyweight knockout artist Kai Kara-France in yet another frenetic bout. Kara-France caught Royval early, but when the Kiwi went for a follow-up shot, Royval spun and connected with an elbow out of nowhere that got him back on the front foot. When the fight reached the second round, Royval was able to find yet another submission, earning another Fight of the Night bonus.
Vs Rogério Bontorin
Royval experienced the highs and lows of UFC competition quickly. After his pair of show-stealing appearances, Royval lost two on the bounce against eventual champions Brandon Royval and Alexandre Pantoja. At 2-2, he felt like his back was against the wall when he squared off against Rogério Bontorin, but that fight brought out the most composed Royval yet. Sailing wasn’t all the way smooth, but he did show the composure to cement himself in the division’s slippery Top 15.
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Vs Matt Schnell
To call a performance “vintage Royval” is a little odd considering his short few years in the organization, but that’s exactly what he delivered at UFC 274. He needed less than half a round to put away the action-friendly Matt Schnell with yet another submission, which earned “Raw Dawg” his third bonus in four victories.
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Vs Matheus Nicolau
Brandon Royval Delivers Sensation KO Win In Kansas City | UFC Fight Night: Holloway vs Allen
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Brandon Royval Delivers Sensation KO Win In Kansas City | UFC Fight Night: Holloway vs Allen
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Despite his success and fan-friendly style, Royval found himself on the prelims in Kansas City when he fought the surging Matheus Nicolau. Royval felt like he had a statement to make and made it quickly. About two minutes into the fight, Royval hit Nicolau with a smooth knee that stunned the Brazilian. Afterward, he pleaded his case for a title shot, or, at the very least, to never be stuck on the prelims again.
UFC Fight Night: Song vs Gutierrez took place live from the UFC APEX in Las Vegas on December 9, 2023. See the Final Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC Fight Pass!
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