Brandon Royval held on to his top contender spot. And now he wants what’s his.
“Raw Dawg” made it two straight wins on Saturday with a thrilling split decision victory over Tatsuro Taira in the main event of UFC Vegas 98. The top-10 flyweights went back and forth for 25 minutes, with the more experienced Royval gutting out the victory.
Since losing to UFC flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja in February, Royval has scored wins over the previously unbeaten Taira and two-time titleholder Brandon Moreno, so another championship opportunity is within reach. Should Royval grasp it, he vows to put on a more spirited effort this time around.
“I’m going balls to the wall,” Royval said at the evening’s post-fight press conference. “I trust my pace, I trust my cardio. A fifth-round Raw Dawg is a dangerous Raw Dawg. I trust myself. I think if I ever fought Pantoja again—maybe I shouldn’t be telling my secrets—but I’m going straight after him. I think I played it too safe, I was a little too worried. That being said, I’m going forward, I’m going guns a blazing and that’s what I’m going to do.”
When Royval fought Pantoja eight months ago, he came out on the wrong end of a unanimous decision following a fight in which he was uncharacteristically timid. Prior to that fight, Royval was known for his intensity and aggression, scoring 12 of his first 16 wins by knockout or submission and earning three Fight of the Night bonuses (he collected another Saturday for his fight with Taira).
Royval is also known for fighting only the best competition, having shared the octagon with ranked opposition since making his UFC debut in 2020. Add it all up and he doesn’t see how the matchmakers can deny him another shot at gold.
“I see a title shot next, there’s no way about it,” Royval said. “I have a win over the whole top 5 of the division. I’m all about rematches, but that being said, I earned my way to a title shot. I took a short-notice against the No. 1, I just took out the hottest prospect in the division, I think a title shot is what’s next for me and I’ll be the backup for the title fight Dec. 7.”
That Dec. 7 title fight features Pantoja defending his flyweight championship against UFC newcomer Kai Asakura in the co-main event of UFC 310. The Japanese star made a name for himself in his native country’s RIZIN promotion and holds notable wins over Kyoji Horiguchi, Manel Kape (who avenged his loss to Asakura in 2019) and, most recently, Bellator standout Juan Archuleta.
Royval is a fan and thinks Asakura has a chance of dethroning Pantoja, but he won’t be surprised if Pantoja retains and ends up fighting Royval a third time.
“I’ve been watching Kai Asakura for a while,” Royval said. “I think he’s sick. I think there’s a lot of cool things. He’s yet to make flyweight, so I’ll be there and I’ll be ready just in case he doesn’t. That being said, I’ll give that man his roses. I think that he brings a lot of excitement to the division, I think he could take out Pantoja. I think if Pantoja grapples him at all, it’s going to be over. That being said, the fight starts on the feet.”
