Brandon Royval

Last updated
Brandon Royval
BornBrandon Matthew Royval
(1992-08-16) August 16, 1992 (age 32)
Denver, Colorado, U.S.
Other namesRaw Dawg
Height5 ft 7 in (170 cm)
Weight125 lb (57 kg; 8 st 13 lb)
Division Flyweight
Reach68 in (173 cm) [1]
Fighting out of Englewood, Colorado, U.S.
TeamFactory X
RankBlack belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu [2] under Mario "Busy" Correa [3]
Years active2012–present
Mixed martial arts record
Total24
Wins17
By knockout5
By submission8
By decision4
Losses7
By knockout1
By submission1
By decision5
Other information
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Brandon Matthew Royval [4] (born August 16, 1992) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Flyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional competitor since 2012, Royval has also formerly competed for Legacy Fighting Alliance, where he is a former Legacy Fighting Alliance Flyweight Champion. As of February 27, 2024, he is #1 in the UFC flyweight rankings. [5]

Contents

Background

Born and raised in Denver, Brandon was already training Brazilian jiu-jitsu and Muay Thai at the age of 15. [6] Royval has an older brother, Darian. [6]

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Royval took his first amateur bout at the age of 18, racking up a 5–0 record. [6] Starting his professional career in 2012, Royval compiled an 8–3 record fighting mostly for Legacy Fighting Alliance, eventually culminating in a shot for the interim LFA Flyweight Championship against Casey Kenney, which he lost by unanimous decision. [7]

Brandon Royval next faced UFC vet, Joby Sanchez at LFA 65 on May 3, 2019, winning the bout via submission due to an armbar in the first round. [8]

Royval was going to face Jared Scoggins for the vacant LFA flyweight title on November 22, 2019 until Scoggins pulled out of the fight. Nate Williams stepped up as a replacement and Royval won the LFA Flyweight title via first round armbar. [9]

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Brandon made his UFC debut on May 30, 2020 at UFC on ESPN: Woodley vs. Burns against Tim Elliott. [10] He won the fight via submission in the second round. [11] This fight earned Royval a Fight of the Night award. [12]

Royval faced Kai Kara-France on September 27, 2020 at UFC 253. [13] After both fighters being knocked down in the first round, Royval won the fight via submission in the second round. [14] This fight earned him the Fight of the Night award. [15]

Royval was a replacement for Alex Perez against Brandon Moreno on November 21, 2020 at UFC 255. [16] He lost the fight via technical knockout on round one. [17]

Royval faced Alexandre Pantoja on August 21, 2021 UFC on ESPN 29. [18] He lost the fight via rear-naked choke in round two. [19]

Rise to title contention

Royval faced Rogério Bontorin on January 15, 2022 at UFC on ESPN 32. [20] He won the fight via split decision. [21]

Royval faced Matt Schnell on May 7, 2022 at UFC 274. [22] He won the back-and-forth fight via a guillotine choke submission in the first round. [23] The fight also won both men the Fight of the Night bonus award. [24]

Royval was scheduled to face Askar Askarov on October 15, 2022 at UFC Fight Night 212. [25] However the bout was cancelled the day before the event due to weight management issues. [26]

Royval was set to face Amir Albazi at UFC Fight Night 216 on December 17, 2022. [27] However, Royval pulled out of the bout in late November due to a broken wrist. [28]

Royval faced Matheus Nicolau on April 15, 2023 at UFC on ESPN 44. [29] He won the fight via knockout in the first round. [30] This win earned him the Performance of the Night award. [31]

Royval had a rematch with Alexandre Pantoja for the UFC Flyweight Championship title on December 16, 2023, at UFC 296. [32] He lost the fight via unanimous decision. [33]

Post title shot

Royval faced former UFC Flyweight Champion Brandon Moreno in a rematch, replacing Amir Albazi, at UFC Fight Night 237 on February 24, 2024. [34] He won the fight via split decision. [35] 13 out of 18 media outlets scored the bout for Royval. [36]

As the last bout of his prevailing contract, Royval faced former Shooto Flyweight Champion Tatsuro Taira on October 12, 2024 in the main event at UFC Fight Night 244. [37] He won the fight by split decision. [38] This fight earned him another Fight of the Night award. [39]

Royval was scheduled to face former RIZIN Bantamweight Champion Manel Kape on March 1, 2025 in the main event at UFC Fight Night 253. [40] . However, due to an injury, Royval pulled out of the fight. [41]

Personal life

Royval grew up in a Mexican family. [42] After his win against Kai Kara-France, Royval left his full-time job in the juvenile justice system. [9] He also worked as the jiu-jitsu instructor at Factory X. [43]

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts record

Professional record breakdown
24 matches17 wins7 losses
By knockout41
By submission91
By decision45
Res.RecordOpponentMethodEventDateRoundTimeLocationNotes
Win17–7 Tatsuro Taira Decision (split) UFC Fight Night: Royval vs. Taira October 14, 202455:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United StatesFight of the Night.
Win16–7 Brandon Moreno Decision (split) UFC Fight Night: Moreno vs. Royval 2 February 24, 202455:00 Mexico City, Mexico
Loss15–7 Alexandre Pantoja Decision (unanimous) UFC 296 December 16, 202355:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United StatesFor the UFC Flyweight Championship.
Win15–6 Matheus Nicolau KO (knee and elbows) UFC on ESPN: Holloway vs. Allen April 15, 202312:09 Kansas City, Missouri, United StatesPerformance of the Night.
Win14–6 Matt Schnell Submission (guillotine choke) UFC 274 May 7, 202212:14 Phoenix, Arizona, United StatesFight of the Night.
Win13–6 Rogério Bontorin Decision (split) UFC on ESPN: Kattar vs. Chikadze January 15, 202235:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Loss12–6 Alexandre Pantoja Submission (rear-naked choke) UFC on ESPN: Cannonier vs. Gastelum August 21, 202121:46 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Loss12–5 Brandon Moreno TKO (punches) UFC 255 November 21, 202014:59 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win12–4 Kai Kara-France Submission (guillotine choke) UFC 253 September 27, 202020:48 Abu Dhabi, United Arab EmiratesFight of the Night.
Win11–4 Tim Elliott Submission (arm-triangle choke) UFC on ESPN: Woodley vs. Burns May 30, 202023:18 Las Vegas, Nevada, United StatesFight of the Night.
Win10–4Nate WilliamsSubmission (armbar) LFA 79 November 22, 201910:23 Broomfield, Colorado, United StatesWon the vacant LFA Flyweight Championship.
Win9–4 Joby Sanchez Submission (armbar) LFA 65 May 3, 201913:17 Vail, Colorado, United States
Loss8–4 Casey Kenney Decision (unanimous) LFA 53 November 9, 201855:00 Phoenix, Arizona, United StatesFor the interim LFA Flyweight Championship.
Win8–3 Charles Johnson Decision (unanimous) LFA 48 September 7, 201835:00 Kearney, Nebraska, United States
Win7–3 Jerome Rivera TKO (arm injury) LFA 39 May 4, 201810:40 Vail, Colorado, United States
Win6–3Demetrius WilsonSubmission (triangle choke) LFA 22 September 8, 201722:00 Broomfield, Colorado, United States
Loss5–3Nick UrsoDecision (split) LFA 10 April 21, 201735:00 Pueblo, Colorado, United States
Win5–2Rakan AdwanSubmission (armbar) LFA 5 February 24, 201711:54 Broomfield, Colorado, United States
Win4–2Angel TorresSubmission (triangle choke)Sparta Combat League 53October 15, 201610:34 Denver, Colorado, United StatesFlyweight debut.
Loss3–2Ricky PalaciosDecision (unanimous)Combate Americas: Road to the Championship 5May 26, 201635:00 Los Angeles, California, United States
Win3–1Danny MainusKO (knee) WSOF 29 March 12, 201612:48 Greeley, Colorado, United States
Win2–1Joey WelchTKO (punches)Sparta Combat League: Mile High MayhemAugust 23, 201410:51 Denver, Colorado, United States
Loss1–1Ben VomBaurDecision (unanimous)Kick Down MMA 104: BOOMOctober 19, 201235:00 Denver, Colorado, United StatesBantamweight debut.
Win1–0Sammy RindTKO (elbows)Kick Down MMA 102: RebelsAugust 17, 201211:45 Denver, Colorado, United StatesCatchweight (140 lb) bout.

[50]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Stats | UFC". ufcstats.com. Retrieved 2020-10-04.
  2. ↑ "Brandon Royval | UFC". UFC.com. 19 May 2020. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
  3. ↑ Jim Norton; Matt Serra (May 3, 2022). "Randy Brown, Brandon Royval, and UFC Fight Night: Font vs Vera recap" (Podcast).
  4. ↑ "Brandon Royval - The MMA Raw Dawg". Elite Sports. Retrieved 2024-09-18.
  5. ↑ "UFC Rankings, Division Rankings, P4P rankings, UFC Champions | UFC.com". www.ufc.com. Retrieved 2024-02-27.
  6. 1 2 3 Jake Howard (14 October 2016). "Brandon "Raw Dog" Royval makes flyweight". mymetmedia.com.
  7. ↑ Bitter, Shawn (2019-03-28). "Welcome to the UFC: Casey Kenney". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2020-03-09.
  8. ↑ John Morgan (May 3, 2019). "LFA 65 results: Brandon Royval taps out UFC vet Joby Sanchez". mmajunkie.com.
  9. 1 2 3 Thomas Gerbasi (2020-11-19). "Brandon Royval Knows He Belongs". UFC.com.
  10. ↑ Farah Hannoun (2020-05-21). "UFC adds Tim Elliott vs. Brandon Royval to May 30 lineup". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2020-05-21.
  11. ↑ Bitter, Shawn (2020-05-30). "UFC Vegas Results: Brandon Royval Submits Tim Elliott in Octagon Debut". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2020-05-31.
  12. 1 2 Haynes, Stephie (2020-05-31). "UFC Las Vegas bonuses: Dern's record-setting kneebar wins POTN". Bloody Elbow. Archived from the original on 2020-06-08. Retrieved 2020-05-31.
  13. ↑ Marcel Dorff (2020-07-27). "UFC Flyweightclash tussen Kai Kara-France en Brandon Royval op 26 september" (in Dutch). mmadna.nl. Retrieved 2022-06-03.
  14. ↑ Fuentes, Jon (2020-09-26). "UFC 253 Results: Brandon Royval Makes Kai Kara-France Tap". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2020-09-27.
  15. 1 2 Alexander K. Lee (2020-09-27). "UFC 253 bonuses: Israel Adesanya, Jan Blachowicz cash in with championship performances". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2020-09-27.
  16. ↑ Mike Bohn (2020-10-02). "Brandon Royval replaces Alex Perez, meets Brandon Moreno at UFC 255". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2020-10-03.
  17. ↑ Evanoff, Josh (2020-11-21). "UFC 255 Results: Brandon Moreno Finishes Injured Brandon Royval". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2020-11-22.
  18. ↑ Marcel Dorff (2021-05-11). "Alexandre Pantoja vs. Brandon Royval toegevoegd aan UFC evenement op 21 augustus". MMA DNA (in Dutch). Retrieved 2022-03-06.
  19. ↑ Anderson, Jay (2021-08-21). "UFC Vegas 34 Results: Alexandre Pantoja Subs Game Brandon Royval". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2021-08-22.
  20. ↑ Guilherme Cruz and Mike Heck (2021-10-01). "Rogerio Bontorin returns vs. Brandon Royval at Jan. 15 UFC event". MMAFighting. Retrieved 2021-10-01.
  21. ↑ Gibbons, Justin (2022-01-15). "UFC Vegas 46: Brandon Royval Grinds Out Split Decision Against Bontorin". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2022-01-16.
  22. ↑ Martin, Damon (2022-02-24). "Brandon Royval vs. Matt Schnell added to UFC 274". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2022-02-25.
  23. ↑ Behunin, Alex (2022-05-07). "UFC 274: Brandon Royval Taps Matt Schnell In A Wild Two Minute Scrap". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2022-05-08.
  24. 1 2 Anderson, Jay (2022-05-08). "UFC 274: Chandler, Fialho Earn Performance of the Night Bonuses". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2022-05-08.
  25. ↑ Jay Anderson (2022-08-03). "UFC: Brandon Royval vs. Askar Askarov set for October 15". cagesidepress.com. Retrieved 2022-08-03.
  26. ↑ Fighting, MMA. "Brandon Royval vs. Askar Askarov called off for UFC Vegas 62". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 14 October 2022.
  27. ↑ Jay Anderson (2022-10-25). "Brandon Royval vs. Amir Albazi Set for UFC's December 17 Card". cagesidepress.com. Retrieved 2022-10-25.
  28. ↑ King, Nolan (2022-11-23). "Brandon Royval announces he's out of UFC Fight Night 216 due to broken wrist". MMA Junkie. Retrieved 2022-11-23.
  29. ↑ Calhoun, Curtis (2023-02-09). "Brandon Royval vs. Matheus Nicolau Booked For UFC Kansas City, Twitter Reacts". Mma News | Ufc News, Results & Interviews. Retrieved 2023-02-09.
  30. ↑ Anderson, Jay (2023-04-15). "UFC Kansas City: Brandon Royval Floors Matheus Nicolau, Calls for Title Shot". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2023-04-17.
  31. 1 2 "UFC on ESPN 44 bonuses: Edson Barboza's spectacular knee knockout earns $50,000". MMA Junkie. 2023-04-16. Retrieved 2023-04-16.
  32. ↑ Martin, Damon (2023-09-20). "Leon Edwards vs. Colby Covington, Alexandre Pantoja vs. Brandon Royval 2 set to headline UFC 296". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2023-09-21.
  33. ↑ "UFC 296 full results: Leon Edwards dominates Colby Covington; Alexandre Pantoja retains title". Yahoo Sports. 2023-12-17. Retrieved 2023-12-17.
  34. ↑ Steve Marrocco (2024-01-11). "UFC Mexico City gets new headliner after Amir Albazi forced off card". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2024-01-11.
  35. ↑ Anderson, Jay (2024-02-25). "UFC Mexico City: Brandon Royval Avenges Loss to Brandon Moreno". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2024-02-25.
  36. ↑ MMA Decisions (2024-02-24). "MMA Decisions - Brandon Royval defeats Brandon Moreno". mmadecisions.com. Retrieved 2024-09-03.
  37. ↑ Nolan King (2024-08-01). "UFC books Brandon Royval vs. Tatsuro Taira to headline October event". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2024-08-01.
  38. ↑ Staff (2024-10-12). "UFC Vegas 98: Brandon Royval First to Defeat Tatsuro Taira in Back-and-Forth Thriller". cagesidepress.com. Retrieved 2024-10-12.
  39. 1 2 Chris Taylor (2024-10-12). "UFC Vegas 98 Bonus Report: Brandon Royval and Tatsuro Taira earn FOTN honors". bjpenn.com. Retrieved 2024-10-12.
  40. ↑ Neri Fung (2024-12-20). "Ultimate encaminha Manel Kape vs Brandon Royval para luta principal do UFC Vegas 103" (in Portuguese). agfight.com. Retrieved 2024-12-21.
  41. ↑ Damon Martin (2025-02-05). "Brandon Royval announces he's out of Manel Kape fight at UFC Vegas 103". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2025-02-05.
  42. ↑ Howard, Jake (14 October 2016). "Brandon "Raw Dog" Royval makes flyweight". Met Media. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
  43. ↑ "Professor Brandon Royval". factoryxmuaythai.com. Archived from the original on April 19, 2024. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  44. ↑ Mike Bohn (2024-10-13). "UFC Fight Night 244 post-event facts: Brandon Royval ties flyweight Fight of the Night record". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2024-10-13.
  45. ↑ "UFC Flyweight – Stats". UFC.com. December 8, 2024. Retrieved December 8, 2024.
  46. 1 2 3 4 5 UFC (2024-04-01). "UFC Flyweight - Fight Stats". ufc.com. Retrieved 2024-04-01.
  47. ↑ Thomas Gerbasi (December 22, 2020). "The 10 Best Newcomers of 2020". Ultimate Fighting Championship .
  48. ↑ Thomas Gerbasi (December 22, 2020). "The 10 Best Upsets Of 2020". Ultimate Fighting Championship .
  49. ↑ "The Fights | 2024 UFC.com Awards | UFC". www.ufc.com. 2024-12-19. Retrieved 2024-12-23.
  50. ↑ Sherdog.com. "Brandon Royval". Sherdog. Retrieved 2020-08-07.
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