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Brandon Royval

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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)
DivisionFlyweight
Reach68 in (173 cm)[1]
Fighting out ofEnglewood, Colorado, U.S.
TeamFactory X (until 2024)[2][3]
TrainerClay Matza (main coach, 2020–present)[3]
RankBlack belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu[2] under Mario "Busy" Correa[4]
Years active2012–present
Mixed martial arts record
Total24
Wins17
By knockout5
By submission8
By decision4
Losses7
By knockout1
By submission1
By decision5
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Brandon Matthew Royval[5] (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.[6]

Background

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Born and raised in Denver, Brandon was already training Brazilian jiu-jitsu and Muay Thai at the age of 15.[7] Royval has an older brother, Darian.[7]

Mixed martial arts career

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Early career

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Royval took his first amateur bout at the age of 18, racking up a 5–0 record.[7] 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.[8]

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.[9]

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.[10]

Ultimate Fighting Championship

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Brandon made his UFC debut on May 30, 2020 at UFC on ESPN: Woodley vs. Burns against Tim Elliott.[11] He won the fight via submission in the second round.[12] This fight earned Royval a Fight of the Night award.[13]

Royval faced Kai Kara-France on September 27, 2020 at UFC 253.[14] After both fighters being knocked down in the first round, Royval won the fight via submission in the second round.[15] This fight earned him the Fight of the Night award.[16]

Royval was a replacement for Alex Perez against Brandon Moreno on November 21, 2020 at UFC 255.[17] He lost the fight via technical knockout on round one.[18]

Royval faced Alexandre Pantoja on August 21, 2021 UFC on ESPN 29.[19] He lost the fight via rear-naked choke in round two.[20]

Rise to title contention

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Royval faced Rogério Bontorin on January 15, 2022 at UFC on ESPN 32.[21] He won the fight via split decision.[22]

Royval faced Matt Schnell on May 7, 2022 at UFC 274.[23] He won the back-and-forth fight via a guillotine choke submission in the first round.[24] The fight also won both men the Fight of the Night bonus award.[25]

Royval was scheduled to face Askar Askarov on October 15, 2022 at UFC Fight Night 212.[26] However the bout was cancelled the day before the event due to weight management issues.[27]

Royval was set to face Amir Albazi at UFC Fight Night 216 on December 17, 2022.[28] However, Royval pulled out of the bout in late November due to a broken wrist.[29]

Royval faced Matheus Nicolau on April 15, 2023 at UFC on ESPN 44.[30] He won the fight via knockout in the first round.[31] This win earned him the Performance of the Night award.[32]

Royval had a rematch with Alexandre Pantoja for the UFC Flyweight Championship title on December 16, 2023, at UFC 296.[33] He lost the fight via unanimous decision.[34]

Post title shot

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Royval faced former UFC Flyweight Champion and former LFA Flyweight Champion Brandon Moreno in a rematch, replacing Amir Albazi, at UFC Fight Night 237 on February 24, 2024.[35] He won the fight via split decision.[36] 13 out of 18 media outlets scored the bout for Royval.[37]

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.[38][3] He won the fight by split decision.[39] This fight earned him another Fight of the Night award.[40]

Royval is scheduled to face former RIZIN Bantamweight Champion Manel Kape on March 1, 2025 in the main event at UFC Fight Night 253.[41]

Personal life

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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.[10] He also worked as the jiu-jitsu instructor at Factory X.[43][3]

Championships and accomplishments

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Mixed martial arts record

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Professional record breakdown
24 matches 17 wins 7 losses
By knockout 4 1
By submission 9 1
By decision 4 5
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Win 17–7 Tatsuro Taira Decision (split) UFC Fight Night: Royval vs. Taira October 14, 2024 5 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Fight of the Night.
Win 16–7 Brandon Moreno Decision (split) UFC Fight Night: Moreno vs. Royval 2 February 24, 2024 5 5:00 Mexico City, Mexico
Loss 15–7 Alexandre Pantoja Decision (unanimous) UFC 296 December 16, 2023 5 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States For the UFC Flyweight Championship.
Win 15–6 Matheus Nicolau KO (knee and elbows) UFC on ESPN: Holloway vs. Allen April 15, 2023 1 2:09 Kansas City, Missouri, United States Performance of the Night.
Win 14–6 Matt Schnell Submission (guillotine choke) UFC 274 May 7, 2022 1 2:14 Phoenix, Arizona, United States Fight of the Night.
Win 13–6 Rogério Bontorin Decision (split) UFC on ESPN: Kattar vs. Chikadze January 15, 2022 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Loss 12–6 Alexandre Pantoja Submission (rear-naked choke) UFC on ESPN: Cannonier vs. Gastelum August 21, 2021 2 1:46 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Loss 12–5 Brandon Moreno TKO (punches) UFC 255 November 21, 2020 1 4:59 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 12–4 Kai Kara-France Submission (guillotine choke) UFC 253 September 27, 2020 2 0:48 Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates Fight of the Night.
Win 11–4 Tim Elliott Submission (arm-triangle choke) UFC on ESPN: Woodley vs. Burns May 30, 2020 2 3:18 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Fight of the Night.
Win 10–4 Nate Williams Submission (armbar) LFA 79 November 22, 2019 1 0:23 Broomfield, Colorado, United States Won the vacant LFA Flyweight Championship.
Win 9–4 Joby Sanchez Submission (armbar) LFA 65 May 3, 2019 1 3:17 Vail, Colorado, United States
Loss 8–4 Casey Kenney Decision (unanimous) LFA 53 November 9, 2018 5 5:00 Phoenix, Arizona, United States For the interim LFA Flyweight Championship.
Win 8–3 Charles Johnson Decision (unanimous) LFA 48 September 7, 2018 3 5:00 Kearney, Nebraska, United States
Win 7–3 Jerome Rivera TKO (arm injury) LFA 39 May 4, 2018 1 0:40 Vail, Colorado, United States
Win 6–3 Demetrius Wilson Submission (triangle choke) LFA 22 September 8, 2017 2 2:00 Broomfield, Colorado, United States
Loss 5–3 Nick Urso Decision (split) LFA 10 April 21, 2017 3 5:00 Pueblo, Colorado, United States
Win 5–2 Rakan Adwan Submission (armbar) LFA 5 February 24, 2017 1 1:54 Broomfield, Colorado, United States
Win 4–2 Angel Torres Submission (triangle choke) Sparta Combat League 53 October 15, 2016 1 0:34 Denver, Colorado, United States Flyweight debut.
Loss 3–2 Ricky Palacios Decision (unanimous) Combate Americas: Road to the Championship 5 May 26, 2016 3 5:00 Los Angeles, California, United States
Win 3–1 Danny Mainus KO (knee) WSOF 29 March 12, 2016 1 2:48 Greeley, Colorado, United States
Win 2–1 Joey Welch TKO (punches) Sparta Combat League: Mile High Mayhem August 23, 2014 1 0:51 Denver, Colorado, United States
Loss 1–1 Ben VomBaur Decision (unanimous) Kick Down MMA 104: BOOM October 19, 2012 3 5:00 Denver, Colorado, United States Bantamweight debut.
Win 1–0 Sammy Rind TKO (elbows) Kick Down MMA 102: Rebels August 17, 2012 1 1:45 Denver, Colorado, United States Catchweight (140 lb) bout.

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Stats | UFC". ufcstats.com. Retrieved 2020-10-04.
  2. ^ a b "Brandon Royval | UFC". UFC.com. 19 May 2020. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
  3. ^ a b c d SportSkeeda MMA Originals (August 16, 2024). Brandon Royval on leaving Factory X, Muhammad Mokaev & Main Event Oct. 10 – via YouTube.
  4. ^ Jim Norton; Matt Serra (May 3, 2022). "Randy Brown, Brandon Royval, and UFC Fight Night: Font vs Vera recap" (Podcast).
  5. ^ "Brandon Royval - The MMA Raw Dawg". Elite Sports. Retrieved 2024-09-18.
  6. ^ "UFC Rankings, Division Rankings, P4P rankings, UFC Champions | UFC.com". www.ufc.com. Retrieved 2024-02-27.
  7. ^ a b c Jake Howard (14 October 2016). "Brandon "Raw Dog" Royval makes flyweight". mymetmedia.com.
  8. ^ Bitter, Shawn (2019-03-28). "Welcome to the UFC: Casey Kenney". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2020-03-09.
  9. ^ John Morgan (May 3, 2019). "LFA 65 results: Brandon Royval taps out UFC vet Joby Sanchez". mmajunkie.com.
  10. ^ a b c Thomas Gerbasi (2020-11-19). "Brandon Royval Knows He Belongs". UFC.com.
  11. ^ Farah Hannoun (2020-05-21). "UFC adds Tim Elliott vs. Brandon Royval to May 30 lineup". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2020-05-21.
  12. ^ Bitter, Shawn (2020-05-30). "UFC Vegas Results: Brandon Royval Submits Tim Elliott in Octagon Debut". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2020-05-31.
  13. ^ a b 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.
  14. ^ 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.
  15. ^ Fuentes, Jon (2020-09-26). "UFC 253 Results: Brandon Royval Makes Kai Kara-France Tap". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2020-09-27.
  16. ^ a b Alexander K. Lee (2020-09-27). "UFC 253 bonuses: Israel Adesanya, Jan Blachowicz cash in with championship performances". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2020-09-27.
  17. ^ Mike Bohn (2020-10-02). "Brandon Royval replaces Alex Perez, meets Brandon Moreno at UFC 255". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2020-10-03.
  18. ^ Evanoff, Josh (2020-11-21). "UFC 255 Results: Brandon Moreno Finishes Injured Brandon Royval". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2020-11-22.
  19. ^ 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.
  20. ^ Anderson, Jay (2021-08-21). "UFC Vegas 34 Results: Alexandre Pantoja Subs Game Brandon Royval". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2021-08-22.
  21. ^ Guilherme Cruz and Mike Heck (2021-10-01). "Rogerio Bontorin returns vs. Brandon Royval at Jan. 15 UFC event". MMAFighting. Retrieved 2021-10-01.
  22. ^ Gibbons, Justin (2022-01-15). "UFC Vegas 46: Brandon Royval Grinds Out Split Decision Against Bontorin". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2022-01-16.
  23. ^ Martin, Damon (2022-02-24). "Brandon Royval vs. Matt Schnell added to UFC 274". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2022-02-25.
  24. ^ Behunin, Alex (2022-05-07). "UFC 274: Brandon Royval Taps Matt Schnell In A Wild Two Minute Scrap". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2022-05-08.
  25. ^ a b Anderson, Jay (2022-05-08). "UFC 274: Chandler, Fialho Earn Performance of the Night Bonuses". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2022-05-08.
  26. ^ Jay Anderson (2022-08-03). "UFC: Brandon Royval vs. Askar Askarov set for October 15". cagesidepress.com. Retrieved 2022-08-03.
  27. ^ Fighting, MMA. "Brandon Royval vs. Askar Askarov called off for UFC Vegas 62". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 14 October 2022.
  28. ^ Jay Anderson (2022-10-25). "Brandon Royval vs. Amir Albazi Set for UFC's December 17 Card". cagesidepress.com. Retrieved 2022-10-25.
  29. ^ 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.
  30. ^ 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.
  31. ^ Anderson, Jay (2023-04-15). "UFC Kansas City: Brandon Royval Floors Matheus Nicolau, Calls for Title Shot". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2023-04-17.
  32. ^ a b "UFC on ESPN 44 bonuses: Edson Barboza's spectacular knee knockout earns $50,000". MMA Junkie. 2023-04-16. Retrieved 2023-04-16.
  33. ^ 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.
  34. ^ "UFC 296 full results: Leon Edwards dominates Colby Covington; Alexandre Pantoja retains title". Yahoo Sports. 2023-12-17. Retrieved 2023-12-17.
  35. ^ Steve Marrocco (2024-01-11). "UFC Mexico City gets new headliner after Amir Albazi forced off card". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2024-01-11.
  36. ^ Anderson, Jay (2024-02-25). "UFC Mexico City: Brandon Royval Avenges Loss to Brandon Moreno". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2024-02-25.
  37. ^ MMA Decisions (2024-02-24). "MMA Decisions - Brandon Royval defeats Brandon Moreno". mmadecisions.com. Retrieved 2024-09-03.
  38. ^ Nolan King (2024-08-01). "UFC books Brandon Royval vs. Tatsuro Taira to headline October event". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2024-08-01.
  39. ^ 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.
  40. ^ a b Chris Taylor (2024-10-12). "UFC Vegas 98 Bonus Report: Brandon Royval and Tatsuro Taira earn FOTN honors". bjpenn.com. Retrieved 2024-10-12.
  41. ^ Neri Fung (2024-12-20). "Ultimate encaminha Manel Kape vs Brandon Royval para luta principal do UFC Vegas 103" (in Spanish). agfight.com. Retrieved 2024-12-21.
  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. ^ a b c d e 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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