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Rebooked vs Kape
Royval will fight Manel Kape at UFC 317 in Las Vegas on June 28, MMAFighting.com reports.
ANALYSIS
Royval was initially booked versus Kape for UFC Vegas 103, but was taken off the ticket for an undisclosed reason. He is now presumably healthy and will take on Kape at the end of June.
Royval was initially booked versus Kape for UFC Vegas 103, but was taken off the ticket for an undisclosed reason. He is now presumably healthy and will take on Kape at the end of June.
Out for UFC Vegas 103
Royval is out for UFC Vegas 103, according to Nolan King of MMA Junkie.
ANALYSIS
Royval being out for UFC Vegas 103 means the event's headliner, which was supposed to be Royval against Manel Kape, is no longer a possibility. Kape will need a new opponent, and Royval will have to put his 2025 title aspirations on hold for at least a little bit.
Royval being out for UFC Vegas 103 means the event's headliner, which was supposed to be Royval against Manel Kape, is no longer a possibility. Kape will need a new opponent, and Royval will have to put his 2025 title aspirations on hold for at least a little bit.
Next fight booked
Royval will face off against Manel Kape at UFC Vegas 103 on Mar. 1, Marcel Dorff of Eurosport.nl reports.
ANALYSIS
Royval will look to stay on track after back-to-back wins over Brandon Moreno and Tatsuro Taira, when he takes on Manel Kape in March. The 32-year-old American is 7-3 during his time with the UFC.
Royval will look to stay on track after back-to-back wins over Brandon Moreno and Tatsuro Taira, when he takes on Manel Kape in March. The 32-year-old American is 7-3 during his time with the UFC.
Second straight main event win
Royval defeated Tatsuro Taira via split decision (48-47, 47-48, 48-47) at UFC Fight Night on Saturday in Las Vegas.
ANALYSIS
It's a second straight split-decision, upset main-event win for Royval. He got past Brandon Moreno in Mexico City in February and did the same to Taira here. Royval is a poor defensive wrestler. He allowed six takedowns in this fight for 12:13 worth of control time. That's the bad news. The good news is that he never stops working. Royval mixed in three takedowns of his own, in addition to sporting a 172-80 edge in total strikes landed. The number one criteria for judges when scoring a fight is damage, and if you go by that, Royval deserved to win this bout. In the end, the back-and-forth affair would go on to win both men $50,000 Fight of the Night bonuses. You wouldn't think Brandon is a legitimate contender at 125 pounds, but back-to-back wins over Taira and Moreno say otherwise, especially in a thin flyweight division.
It's a second straight split-decision, upset main-event win for Royval. He got past Brandon Moreno in Mexico City in February and did the same to Taira here. Royval is a poor defensive wrestler. He allowed six takedowns in this fight for 12:13 worth of control time. That's the bad news. The good news is that he never stops working. Royval mixed in three takedowns of his own, in addition to sporting a 172-80 edge in total strikes landed. The number one criteria for judges when scoring a fight is damage, and if you go by that, Royval deserved to win this bout. In the end, the back-and-forth affair would go on to win both men $50,000 Fight of the Night bonuses. You wouldn't think Brandon is a legitimate contender at 125 pounds, but back-to-back wins over Taira and Moreno say otherwise, especially in a thin flyweight division.
Undefeated prospect next
Royval is scheduled to compete against fellow flyweight Tatsuro Taira in a five-round fight at UFC Vegas 98 on Oct. 12, per Marcel Dorff of Eurosport.nl.
ANALYSIS
Despite being the No. 1 contender to the UFC Flyweight Championship, Royval's last win was a split-decision victory, which appears not enough for a title shot. All that could explain why he is taking up another top contender for legitimization. It will be a risky main event Royval fights, considering Taira is undefeated across 16 fights, six of them in the UFC. Royval is no slouch though, as he has five-round experience and a win over a former flyweight champion in Brandon Moreno, even if it was via split decision.
Despite being the No. 1 contender to the UFC Flyweight Championship, Royval's last win was a split-decision victory, which appears not enough for a title shot. All that could explain why he is taking up another top contender for legitimization. It will be a risky main event Royval fights, considering Taira is undefeated across 16 fights, six of them in the UFC. Royval is no slouch though, as he has five-round experience and a win over a former flyweight champion in Brandon Moreno, even if it was via split decision.