Brandon Royval

Brandon Royval, born on August 16, 1992, in Denver, Colorado, is an American professional mixed martial artist competing in the UFC's flyweight division (125 lbs). Raised in Denver, he began training in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and Muay Thai at 15. He turned professional in 2012, gaining recognition in organizations like Legacy Fighting Alliance (LFA), where he held the LFA Flyweight Championship title.

Royval made his UFC debut on May 30, 2020, at UFC on ESPN: Woodley vs. Burns, defeating Tim Elliott via submission in the second round and earning the Fight of the Night award. His notable fights include a submission win over Kai Kara-France at UFC 253 and a competitive bout against Brandon Moreno at UFC 255, despite losing via technical knockout (shoulder dislocation).

As of October 2024, Royval holds the No. 1 spot in the UFC flyweight rankings.

Brandon Royval's Early Career

Brandon Royval started his combat sports training at age 15, when he started training in Muay Thai and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. He started his MMA journey in 2011 and made his amateur debut in 2011 at RMBB: Extreme MMA against Justin Hernandez. Benavidez used his grappling prowess to submit Hernandez in the second round via rear-naked choke. Royval carried this momentum on as he defeated Justin O'Hara in his next bout. Following this, he turned professional in 2012.

Brandon Moreno made his debut at Kick Down MMA 102 against Sammy Rind. Royval outclassed Rind, and TKO'ed him in the first round. He went 2-2 in his next 4-fights before deciding to move down to Flyweight. Royval fought Angel Torres in his flyweight debut at SCL 53. He made quick work of Torres and submitted him in 34 seconds.

Brandon Royval signed with the Legacy Fighting Alliance and won his debut fight against Rakan Adwan via first-round armbar submission. He lost his next fight against Nick Urso via a close split decision. Royval bounced back and went on a 3-fight win streak to earn a shot at the Interim LFA Flyweight Championship against Casey Kenney. Royval came up short against Kenney and lost the fight via unanimous decision.

He won his fight against Joby Sanchez and then got a title shot at the vacant LFC Flyweight Championship against Nate Williams at LFA 79. Royval submitted Williams in 23 seconds to win the vacant title. After this win, Brandon signed with the UFC.

Brandon Royval's UFC Career

Brandon Royval made his UFC debut on UFC on ESPN: Woodley vs. Burns against Tim Elliot on May 30, 2020. Royval used his BJJ skills to outclass Elliot and submitted Elliot in the second round. Due to his performance, Brandon got a Fight of the Night bonus. Royval earned another Performance of the Night bonus in his next fight, a unanimous decision win against Kai Kara-France at UFC 253.

Royval was unable to maintain his momentum and ended up losing to Brandon Moreno at UFC 255 via TKO (punches) with 1-second left on the clock in the first round. Royval lost his next fight against Alexandre Pantoja at UC on ESPN: Cannonier vs. Gastelum via second-round rear-naked choke submission.

Royval triumphed over Matt Schnell at UFC 274 with a guillotine choke submission, garnering another Fight of the Night bonus. However, a bout with Askar Askarov was canceled due to weight management issues, and he withdrew from a fight with Amir Albazi due to a broken wrist. Notably, he secured a knockout victory against Matheus Nicolau at UFC on ESPN 44, earning the Performance of the Night award. In a title rematch against Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 296, Royval lost via unanimous decision. He rematched against Brandon Moreno at UFC Fight Night 237, replacing Amir Albazi, and won via a split decision.

Brandon Royval's Personal Life

Brandon Royval, a native of Denver, Colorado, kickstarted his martial arts journey at the young age of 15, immersing himself in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and Muay Thai training. His older brother, Darian, shares his passion for martial arts. Apart from his fighting career, Royval serves as a jiu-jitsu instructor at Factory X in Denver, Colorado. Even as a UFC fighter, Royval maintained a full-time job in the juvenile justice system. However, after his win against Kai Kara-France, he opted to leave that position to focus on being a full-time fighter.

Brandon Royval's Social Media

Brandon Royval has social media handles on Instagram and X (formerly known as Twitter). Royval's Instagram page is filled with posts of his training montages, fight promotions, sponsorships, and family. He boasts an impressive follower count of over 62,000 on Instagram and over 13,000 on X.

Brandon Royval's Endorsements

Last Updated On October 10, 2024