Brandon Royval

Overview

Four of Brandon Royval's eight UFC wins are submissions, and two of his five losses came by knockout. The flyweight from Denver is 8-5 in the UFC with five finishes, and he has headlined three times.

The statistical profile is lopsided: volume and submission hunting, not defense. Two losses by KO/TKO, one by submission, two on the scorecards. He carries a one-fight win streak into his next fight, a third-round submission finish.

Plenty of finishes. Plenty of finishes against him, too.

UFC Career

Royval debuted on May 29, 2020 and finished Tim Elliott by submission in the second round. Four months later he submitted Kai Kara-France in the second round at UFC 253, at 0:48. Two fights, two submissions.

Then the first loss. Brandon Moreno stopped him by KO/TKO in the first round at UFC 255, at 4:59. Nine months later, Alexandre Pantoja submitted him in the second round.

He bounced back with a split decision over Rogerio Bontorin, a first-round submission of Matt Schnell and a first-round TKO of Matheus Nicolau, who rates as a strong opponent in our model. That run is his longest win streak: three.

Pantoja came back in December 2023 at UFC 296, this time in a five-round fight, and won a unanimous decision. Royval answered by headlining against Moreno again in February 2024. Over five rounds he won a split decision against an opponent our model rates as elite, the biggest win of his UFC career.

He headlined again against Tatsuro Taira that October and won another split decision after five rounds. Two main events, two split decisions.

The next two fights went the other way. Joshua Van beat him by unanimous decision at UFC 317, and Manel Kape stopped him in the first round of a main event in December 2025. Both are strong opponents by our tiers. He followed that with a third-round submission of Lone'er Kavanagh at UFC 329.

Big wins, hard losses.

Fighting Style

Royval is a busy striker who throws a lot of volume and is easy to hit. He also hunts for submissions more than most fighters in the UFC, and he rarely shoots for takedowns himself. When opponents take him down, he tends to stay in the fight by attacking from the bottom.

That style shows in how he wins. Submissions account for four of his eight UFC wins: two in the second round, one in the first and one in the third. His one knockout win came in the first round. Three of his wins went to the judges.

His defense is the trade-off. He gets hit and taken down more than most, and three of his five losses came by finish.

Notable Wins

• Brandon Moreno — split decision, round 5, UFC Fight Night: Moreno vs. Royval 2 (2024)
• Tatsuro Taira — split decision, round 5, UFC Fight Night: Royval vs Taira (2024)
• Matheus Nicolau — KO/TKO, round 1, UFC Fight Night: Holloway vs. Allen (2023)
• Lone'er Kavanagh — submission, round 3, UFC 329 (2026)

Quick Facts

• Division: Flyweight
• UFC record: 8-5 (5 finishes: 4 submissions, 1 KO/TKO)
• Professional record (all promotions): 18-9-0
• UFC debut: May 29, 2020
• Stance: Southpaw
• Height / reach: 5'9" / 68"
• Team: Tiger Beetle Martial Arts
• Born: Denver, CO, United States