Brandon Royval vs Matheus Nicolau: Height, weight, reach and stats comparison

Brandon Royval and Matheus Nicolau, who stand at No.4 and No.5 respectively, atop the flyweight rankings, will face off in the prelims of UFC on ESPN 44. For Royval, nicknamed 'Raw Dawg', the fight against Nicolau will be the biggest test of his career.

The Brazilian fighter, ranked at No.5 is surging through the flyweight division and is riding a six-fight win-streak going into this fight. Royval, on the other hand, is riding a two-fight win-streak and is 3-2 in his last five fights.

Brandon Royval trains out of team Factory X in Denver, Colorado, and is a black belt in jiu-jitsu under Mario Correa. 'Raw Dawg' stands at 5'9 (175 cm) and has a reach of 68 inches (173 cm).

Royval's promotional debut was at UFC on ESPN 9 against the veteran Tim Elliot, who he finished via submission via arm-triangle in Round 2. 'Raw Dawg' has had six fights in the premier MMA promotion. His two promotional losses have come at the hands of the divisional champ Brandon Moreno and Alexander Pantoja - both of whom are fighting for the flyweight title in July at UFC 290.

'Raw Dawg' has a UFC record of 4-2 and an overall MMA record of 14-6.

Matheus Nicolau has had eight UFC fights with a 7-1 promotional record. He stands at 5'6" (168 cm) and has a reach of 66 inches (168 cm). Nicolau was let go by the organization following his only promotional loss in 2018, only to be re-signed in 2021. Since re-signing, Nicolau has had a 100% winning rate.

Nicolau, who trains out of Jackson-Wink MMA, has a professional record of 19-2-1.

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Brandon Royval vs. Matheus Nicolau: Who will take the W?

Matheus Nicolau has more experience than his American counterpart, having begun his professional career at the age of 17. Nicolau is riding a six-fight win-streak - that's the total number of fights Brandon Royval has had in the UFC.

But all that doesn't take away from Royval's resume. The American fighter has finishes over names like Tim Elliot, Kai Kara-France and Matt Schnell. His only two losses in the promotion have come at the hands of the top dogs in the division, Brandon Moreno and Alexandre Pantoja.

Brandon Royval has three submission finishes in the UFC, while Nicolau has two submission wins and one KO victory in the organization. In terms of career finishes, 'Raw Dawg' has three KO wins and nine submission wins. Nicolau has five KO victories and five submission victories in his career.

In terms of strategy, it makes sense for Brandon Royval to grapple with the Brazilian fighter. However, Nicolau is a credentialed grappler himself, so it may not be a walk in the park towards a submission victory for the American fighter. Nicolau has more striking finishes in his career, so it makes sense for him to look for the finish on the feet.