Tag: Brandon Royval

Brandon Royval calls out flyweight champ Alexandre Pantoja in fiery post-fight interview at UFC Mexico City

Brandon RoyvalBrandon Royval wants another crack at flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja. Stepping up on short notice after Brandon Moreno’s originally…

Brandon Royval

Brandon Royval wants another crack at flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja.

Stepping up on short notice after Brandon Moreno’s originally scheduled opponent — Amir Albazi — bowed out due to a neck injury, Royval delivered a solid performance throughout their five-round headliner, earning a split-decision victory over ‘The Assassin Baby’ inside Mexico City’s Arena CDMX.

Following the contest, a fired-up Royval called out Pantoja, who was sitting cageside for the festivities.

“I’m a f*cking gangster. I’m the realest one in this flyweight division,” Royval said while speaking with Paul Felder. Everybody wants to grapple me all day. Speaking of grappling, I hear Pantoja’s in the building. Let’s run that sh*t back motherf*cker. Ain’t no motherf*cker holding me down ever again. I’m going to people’s house and I’m taking their f*cking sh*t. All day, every day. Brandon ‘Raw Dog’ motherf*ckin’ Royval in the building. Westside!”

Is anyone interested in Brandon Royval vs. Alexandre Pantoja 3?

Brandon Royval has stepped inside the Octagon with Pantoja on two separate occasions, the first coming at a Fight Night event in August 2021. Pantoja earned a submission via RNC in the second round. Two years later, they would run it back in a flyweight title tilt at UFC 296 in December. ‘The Cannibal’ once again came out on top, this time by unanimous decision.

With Royval already coming up short against Pantoja twice, a third fight between the two would be a hard sell for fight fans. But with the UFC in desperate need of a flyweight title contender not named Brandon Moreno, ‘Raw Dog’ may be the best option at hand.

Brandon Royval defies the odds, scores split decision over Brandon Moreno – UFC Mexico City Highlights

Brandon RoyvalBrandon Royval stepped into the UFC Mexico main event as a +220 underdog, but that didn’t stop him from…

Brandon Royval

Brandon Royval stepped into the UFC Mexico main event as a +220 underdog, but that didn’t stop him from delivering a show-stealing performance against former flyweight world champion Brandon Moreno.

More than three years removed from their first meeting when ‘The Assassin Baby’ scored a last-second TKO, Royval earned some redemption, outlasting Moreno in a five-round back-and-forth war inside Arena CDMX in Mexico City. ‘Raw Dog’ threw an incredible 370 significant strikes during the 25-minute affair, though he only landed a lowly 28%. Still, that was enough to outstrike Moreno in the third, fourth, and fifth rounds which ultimately sealed the victory on two of the three scorecards.

Official Result: Brandon Royval def. Brandon Moreno via split decision (48-47, 46-49, 48-47)

Following the bout, Royval called for a rematch with reigning flyweight titleholder Alexandre Pantoja, who was sitting cageside for the festivities. Royval came up short against Pantoja at UFC 296 in December, but his impressive short-notice showing against Moreno may put him right back in line for another shot at gold.

Check Out Highlights From Brandon Royval vs. Brandon Moreno at UFC Mexico:

Brandon Royval scores brutal knee, elbow strikes KO win over Matheus Nicolau – UFC Kansas City Highlights

Brandon Royval KO's Matheus Nicolau with knee strikes UFC Kansas City HighlightsAttempting 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 […]

Brandon Royval KO's Matheus Nicolau with knee strikes UFC Kansas City Highlights

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 Names The Thing That Surprised Him About Tatsuro Taira The Most

Brandon Royval had no problem admitting that Tatsuro Taira had drastically surprised him in their main event at the Apex last weekend. “Raw Dawg” emerged victorious via a split decision where he needed to win the fifth round to secure the win. Having trained together several times in the past, Royval said in his post-fight […]

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Brandon Royval had no problem admitting that Tatsuro Taira had drastically surprised him in their main event at the Apex last weekend. “Raw Dawg” emerged victorious via a split decision where he needed to win the fifth round to secure the win.

Having trained together several times in the past, Royval said in his post-fight interview that he expected to run straight through the rising Japanese contender.

He didn’t believe that the 24-year old Taira would be close to his level so it would be a quick night at the office with a first or second round finish but the fight ended up being a great competitive clash.

Though Royval had the clear advantage in the striking exchanges, it was the excellent grappling game of his opponent that cause him some issues.

Royval is no stranger to facing top grapplers in the division and is usually able to cause them some issues with his own scrambling ability. He wasn’t able to do this consistently against Taira who is a master of taking the back and keeping it whilst he works to secure submissions from this dominant position.

In an interview with former UFC champion Michael Bisping on his Believe You Me podcast, Royval spoke about how Taira’s back control and body triangle was another level to what he has experienced in the past, even compared to the likes of Alexandre Pantoja and Brandon Moreno.

“When he locked in that body triangle I immediately was like, oh that’s a different type of body triangle and I’ve never felt a body triangle where I was like oh that’s actually really, really tight… I really thought he’d be the least effective of the back riders and holy s*** that kid on my back was a whole different strength, a whole different feeling and really eye opening”

Continue Reading Brandon Royval Names The Thing That Surprised Him About Tatsuro Taira The Most at MMA News.

UFC Fight Night Results & Highlights: Brandon Royval Decisions Tatsuro Taira

UFC Fight Night took place tonight from the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, and MMA News has you covered with all the results and highlights!  In the main event, top-five flyweights Brandon Royval (#1) and Tatsuro Taira (#5) clashed. While in the co-main event, Brad Tavares faced JunYong Park in a middleweight matchup.  UFC Fight Night Results: […]

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UFC Fight Night took place tonight from the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, and MMA News has you covered with all the results and highlights! 

In the main event, top-five flyweights Brandon Royval (#1) and Tatsuro Taira (#5) clashed. While in the co-main event, Brad Tavares faced JunYong Park in a middleweight matchup. 

UFC Fight Night Results: Main Card

  • Flyweight Main Event: Brandon Royval def. Tatsuro Taira via split decision (48-47×2, 47-48)
  • Middleweight Co-Main Event: JunYong Park def. Brad Tavares via split decision (29-28×2, 28-29)
  • Welterweight: Chidi Njokuani def. Jared Gooden via unanimous decision (30-27×3)
  • Lightweight: Grant Dawson def. Rafa Garcia via TKO: R2, 1.42
  • Welterweight: Daniel Rodriguez def. Alex Morono via split decision (29-28×2, 28-29) 
  • Flyweight: Ramazonbek Temirov def. CJ Vergara via TKO: R1, 2.50

Preliminary Card

  • Featherweight: Pat Sabatini def. Jonathan Pearce via submission: R1, 4.06
  • Welterweight: Themba Gorimbo def. Niko Price via unanimous decision (30-27×3)
  • Heavyweight: Junior Tafa def. Sean Sharaf via TKO: R2, 2.15
  • Women’s Strawweight: Julia Polastri def. Cory McKenna via split decision (29-28, 30-27, 28-29)
  • Bantamweight: Cody Haddon def. Dan Argueta via unanimous decision (30-27×3)

Flyweight: Clayton Carpenter def. Lucas Rocha via submission: R2, 2.12

Preliminary Card Highlights

Clayton Carpenter def. Lucas Rocha

In this flyweight bout, Clayton Carpenter locked in a rear-naked choke to get the win against Lucas Rocha.

Junior Tafa def. Sean Sharaf

Junior Tafa got it done with a TKO of Sean Sharaf in round two of their heavyweight bout.

Pat Sabatini def. Jonathan Pearce

Pat Sabatini earned a first-round submission against Jonathan Pearce in their featherweight bout.

Main Card Highlights

Ramazonbek Temirov def. CJ Vergara

Making his UFC debut, Ramazonbek Temirov earned a first-round TKO against CJ Vergara in their flyweight matchup.

Daniel Rodriguez def. Alex Morono

In this welterweight matchup, Daniel Rodriguez earned a split decision win against Alex Morono.

Grant Dawson def. Rafa Garcia

Grant Dawson got it done with a TKO of Rafa Garcia in the second round of their lightweight bout.

Chidi Njokuani def. Jared Gooden

Chidi Njokuani earned a unanimous decision against Jared Gooden in their welterweight matchup.

JunYong Park def. Brad Tavares

In the co-main event, JunYong Park earned a split decision win against Brad Tavares.

Brandon Royval def. Tatsuro Taira

In the main event, Brandon Royval earned a split decision victory against Tatsuro Taira.

Continue Reading UFC Fight Night Results & Highlights: Brandon Royval Decisions Tatsuro Taira at MMA News.

UFC Fight Night: Brandon Royval vs. Tatsuro Taira Weigh-In Results: 3 Miss Weight

UFC Fight Night: Brandon Royval vs. Tatsuro Taira takes place on Saturday, and MMA News is here to bring you the official weigh-in results! After returning to Salt Lake City, Utah for its latest numbered event, mixed martial arts’ leading promotion is back at its home base to stage another card at the Apex. Topping […]

Continue Reading UFC Fight Night: Brandon Royval vs. Tatsuro Taira Weigh-In Results: 3 Miss Weight at MMA News.

UFC Fight Night: Brandon Royval vs. Tatsuro Taira takes place on Saturday, and MMA News is here to bring you the official weigh-in results!

After returning to Salt Lake City, Utah for its latest numbered event, mixed martial arts’ leading promotion is back at its home base to stage another card at the Apex.

Topping the lineup will be a high-stakes flyweight affair, as former title challenger Brandon Royval looks to secure another shot at unseating Alexandre Pantoja from the throne. To do so, he’ll need to blemish the perfect professional record of rising Japanese contender Tatsuro Taira.

Elsewhere, the likes of middleweight veteran Brad Tavares, formerly ranked lightweight Grant Dawson, and knockout artist Abdul Razak Alhassan will all be in action.

UFC Fight Night: Royval vs. Taira Weigh-In Results

UFC Fight Night: Royval vs. Taira takes place on Saturday, October 12, at the Apex facility in Las Vegas, Nevada. The main card begins at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT, with the preliminary card starting at 4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT.

See above for a full replay of the weigh-ins via MMA Junkie, and check out the full results below!

Main Card:

  • Flyweight Main Event: Brandon Royval (125.5lbs) vs. Tatsuro Taira (125.5lbs)
  • Middleweight Co-Main Event: Brad Tavares (185lbs) vs. JunYong Park (185.5lbs)
  • Welterweight: Chidi Njokuani (170.5lbs) vs. Jared Gooden (172.5lbs)**
  • Lightweight: Grant Dawson (156lbs) vs. Rafa Garcia (154.5lbs)
  • Welterweight: Daniel Rodriguez (170lbs) vs. Alex Morono (170.5lbs)
  • Middleweight: Abdul Razak Alhassan (186lbs) vs. Josh Fremd (189lbs)*

Preliminary Card:

  • Flyweight: CJ Vergara (126lbs) vs. Ramazonbek Temirov (125.5lbs)
  • Featherweight: Jonathan Pearce (145lbs) vs. Pat Sabatini (145lbs)
  • Welterweight: Themba Gorimbo (170.5lbs) vs. Niko Price (170.5lbs)
  • Heavyweight: Junior Tafa (241lbs) vs. Sean Sharaf (252lbs)
  • Women’s Strawweight: Julia Polastri (115lbs) vs. Cory McKenna (115lbs)
  • Bantamweight: Dan Argueta (138.5lbs)*** vs. Cody Haddon (135lbs)
  • Flyweight: Clayton Carpenter (125.5lbs) vs. Lucas Rocha (125.5lbs)

*Josh Fremd missed the middleweight limit by 3 pounds, fight status TBC

**Jared Gooden missed the welterweight limit by 1.5 pounds, fight status TBC

***Dan Argueta missed the bantamweight limit by 2.5 pounds, fight status TBC

Continue Reading UFC Fight Night: Brandon Royval vs. Tatsuro Taira Weigh-In Results: 3 Miss Weight at MMA News.