Attempting to stamp his ticket for his first title challenge under the promotional banner, streaking flyweight contender, Brandon Royval turns in his third consecutive victory — finishing Brazilian staple, Matheus Nicolau with a first round knee and elbow strikes knockout on the preliminary card of UFC Fight Night Kansas City.
Entering tonight’s high-stakes clash with Brazilian contender, Nicolau boasting the #4 rank in the official flyweight pile, Factory X trainee, Royval had landed a pair of triumphs over both Rogerio Bontorin, and Matt Schnell ahead of tonight’s outing in Missouri.
Voicing his interest in serving as an official back-up to this July’s flyweight title fight rematch between past-foes, Brandon Moreno, and Alexandre Pantoja, Royval likely staked his claim for title contention with tonight’s victory.
Stopping Minas Gerais finisher, Nicolau, Royval countered strikes from the Brazilian with a knee straight up the middle, before jumping into guard and landing a series of heavy elbows, securing a first round knockout win.
Below, catch the highlights from Brandon Royval’s KO win over Matheus Nicolau
BRANDON ROYVAL WASTES ZERO TIME!!
@brandonroyval with the finish in 2 minutes at #UFCKansasCity! pic.twitter.com/Gdauv9qXUK
— UFC (@ufc) April 16, 2023
