Brandon Royval

Brandon Matthew Royval (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 since 2012, Royval has also formerly competed for Legacy Fighting Alliance, where he is a former Legacy Fighting Alliance Flyweight Champion. As of July 11, 2026, he is #3 in the Meta UFC flyweight rankings.

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

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.

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.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

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

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

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

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

Rise to title contention Royval faced Rogério Bontorin on January 15, 2022 at UFC on ESPN 32. He won the fight via split decision.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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. He won the fight by split decision. This fight earned him another Fight of the Night award.

Royval was scheduled to face former RIZIN Bantamweight Champion Manel Kape on March 1, 2025 in the main event at UFC Fight Night 253. However, due to multiple concussions, Royval pulled out of the fight. The bout was rescheduled to take place on June 28, 2025 at UFC 317. Royval lost the fight by unanimous decision. This fight earned him another Fight of the Night award. Royval and Van landed a total of 419 significant strikes, which broke the record for most significant strikes landed in a three-round UFC fight and flyweight bout.

Royval was re-scheduled for the third time to face Manel Kape, which eventually took place on December 13, 2025, at UFC on ESPN 73. He lost the fight via knockout in round one.

Royval faced Lone'er Kavanagh on July 11, 2026 at UFC 329. He won the fight via a rear-naked choke submission in the third round. This fight earned him a $100,000 Fight of the Night award.

Personal life Royval grew up in a Mexican family. After his win against Kai Kara-France, Royval left his full-time job in the juvenile justice system.

Championships and accomplishments Ultimate Fighting Championship Fight of the Night (Six times) Performance of the Night (One time) vs. Matheus Nicolau Tied (Muhammad Mokaev) for third most submissions in UFC Flyweight division history (4) Most total strikes landed in a UFC Flyweight bout (281) (vs. Brandon Moreno 2) UFC.com Awards 2020: Ranked #3 Newcomer of the Year & Ranked #10 Upset of the Year 2024: Ranked #7 Fight of the Year 2025: Fight of the Year & Half-Year Awards: Best Fight of the 1HY Legacy Fighting Alliance Legacy Fighting Alliance Flyweight Champion (One time) Sherdog 2025 Fight of the Year CBS Sports 2025 UFC Fight of the Year theScore 2025 Fight of the Year The Wrightway Sports Network 2025 Fight of the Year MMA Mania 2025 #4 Ranked Fight of the Year MMA Fighting 2024 Third Team MMA All-Star 2025 Fight of the Year MMA Junkie 2025 Fight of the Year Cageside Press 2025 Fight of the Year

Mixed martial arts record Win

Lone'er Kavanagh Submission (rear-naked choke) UFC 329

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Loss

Manel Kape KO (punches) UFC on ESPN: Royval vs. Kape

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Loss

Joshua Van Decision (unanimous) UFC 317

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Win

Tatsuro Taira Decision (split) UFC Fight Night: Royval vs. Taira

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Win

Brandon Moreno Decision (split) UFC Fight Night: Moreno vs. Royval 2

Mexico City, Mexico Loss

Alexandre Pantoja Decision (unanimous) UFC 296

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Win

Matheus Nicolau KO (knee and elbows) UFC on ESPN: Holloway vs. Allen

Kansas City, Missouri, United States Win

Matt Schnell Submission (guillotine choke) UFC 274

Phoenix, Arizona, United States Win

Rogério Bontorin Decision (split) UFC on ESPN: Kattar vs. Chikadze

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Loss

Alexandre Pantoja Submission (rear-naked choke) UFC on ESPN: Cannonier vs. Gastelum

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Loss

Brandon Moreno TKO (punches) UFC 255

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Win

Kai Kara-France Submission (guillotine choke) UFC 253

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates Win

Tim Elliott Submission (arm-triangle choke) UFC on ESPN: Woodley vs. Burns

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Win

Nate Williams Submission (armbar) LFA 79

Broomfield, Colorado, United States Win

Joby Sanchez Submission (armbar) LFA 65

Vail, Colorado, United States Loss

Casey Kenney Decision (unanimous) LFA 53

Phoenix, Arizona, United States Win

Charles Johnson Decision (unanimous) LFA 48

Kearney, Nebraska, United States Win

Jerome Rivera TKO (arm injury) LFA 39

Vail, Colorado, United States Win

Demetrius Wilson Submission (triangle choke) LFA 22

Broomfield, Colorado, United States Loss

Nick Urso Decision (split) LFA 10

Pueblo, Colorado, United States Win

Rakan Adwan Submission (armbar) LFA 5

Broomfield, Colorado, United States Win

Angel Torres Submission (triangle choke) Sparta Combat League 53

Denver, Colorado, United States Loss

Ricky Palacios Decision (unanimous) Combate Americas: Road to the Championship 5

Los Angeles, California, United States Win

Danny Mainus KO (knee) WSOF 29

Greeley, Colorado, United States Win

Joey Welch Submission (triangle choke) Sparta Combat League: Mile High Mayhem

Denver, Colorado, United States Loss

Ben VomBaur Decision (unanimous) Kick Down MMA 104: BOOM

Denver, Colorado, United States Win

Sammy Rind TKO (elbows) Kick Down MMA 102: Rebels

Denver, Colorado, United States