Rivalries: Brandon Royval

Brandon Royval worked his entire career to go to this point. The questions now center on whether or not he can complete the task.

“Raw Dawg” will get his crack at the undisputed Ultimate Fighting Championship flyweight title when he rematches Alexandre Pantoja in the UFC 296 co-headliner on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Royval, 31, has rattled off three straight victories since he submitted to a second-round rear-naked choke from the American Top Team-trained Brazilian in their first meeting in 2021. He last competed on April 15, when he wiped out Matheus Nicolau with a first-round knee strike and follow-up punches at UFC on ESPN 44.

As Royval approaches his second confrontation with Pantoja at 125 pounds, a look at a few of the rivalries that have helped chart his course:

Casey Kenney

The MMA Lab standout used well-timed takedowns, a crushing top game and punishing ground-and-pound to beat Royval by unanimous decision for the interim Legacy Fighting Alliance flyweight championship in the LFA 53 headliner on Nov. 9, 2018 at Comerica Theatre in Phoenix. Scores were 50-45, 50-44 and 50-45. After some give and take across the first five minutes, Kenney sidestepped the standup in favor of his more trusted skills. He secured takedowns in the second, third, fourth and fifth rounds, often pairing them with oppressive control, ground-and-pound and the constant threat of a submission. Royval refused to give in to his advances but found himself virtually powerless in a majority of the exchanges, suffering his first setback in well over a year.

Nate Williams

A resurgent Royval captured the vacant Legacy Fighting Alliance flyweight championship in spectacular fashion when he submitted the 5-foot-1 Williams with an armbar in the first round of their LFA 79 main event on Nov. 22, 2019 at 1stBank Center in Broomfield, Colorado. A blinding burst of offense was over in less than half a minute. Royval launched a flying knee and a head kick inside the first 10 seconds, caught his counterpart in a triangle during a subsequent exchange and then moved to an omaplata. From there, the Factory X export made a smooth transition to the armbar and forced the tapout. A short-notice replacement for Jared Scoggins, Williams never stood a chance. Royval made his Ultimate Fighting Championship debut some six months later.

Brandon Moreno

“The Assassin Baby” was awarded a technical knockout over Royval in the first round of their featured UFC 255 prelim on Nov. 21, 2020 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Royval appeared to suffer a dislocated shoulder during an intense ground exchange and could not physically defend himself, resulting in the stoppage 4:59 into Round 1. Both men had their moments in a brief but frenetic confrontation. Royval connected with a few standing knee strikes and a spinning back elbow but conceded a takedown that seemed to alter the direction of the fight. Moreno eventually jumped to his back and threatened with a rear-naked choke, his efforts giving way to the scramble that caused the injury. With Royval clutching his right arm in agony, a merciless Moreno let loose with the punches and hammerfists that finished the job.

Rogerio Bontorin

Royval on Jan. 15, 2022 rebounded from back-to-back losses and took a step forward in the 125-pound weight class with a contentious split decision over Bontorin in a three-round UFC on ESPN 32 showcase at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. All three judges scored it 29-28: Eric Colon and Chris Lee for Royval, Douglas Crosby for Bontorin. Royval picked his spots on the feet throughout the 15-minute encounter and nearly submitted the Gile Ribeiro-trained Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt with an armbar in the third round. Bontorin, meanwhile, relied heavily on takedowns, top control and positional advances. Royval made his move late in Round 3, where the onetime Legacy Fighting Alliance champion scrambled into top position, clamped down on the Brazilian and hammered him with elbow-laced ground-and-pound. His efforts were enough to curry favor on two of the three scorecards and put him back on the road to contention.