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Brandon Royval revealed that he will be the backup fighter for the UFC 290 co-main event.
At UFC Kansas City, Royval made a statement by securing a first-round TKO against Matheus Nicolau. As a result, ‘Raw Dawg’ emerged as the number four-ranked UFC flyweight, with the possibility of being the next flyweight title challenger.
On July 8, the 125-pound title will be on the line as Brandon Moreno looks to defend his throne against Alexandre Pantoja. During an interview with Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, Royval had this to say about being offered the backup spot for the flyweight championship bout:
“As far as I’ve been told, I’m weighing in as the alternate [for the UFC 290 co-main event]. Yeah, I got the backup slot, I think that’s guaranteed, so yeah, I don’t know if that means I’m gonna be the next for the title fight or whatever, but I’m staying ready. I’m getting ready for this just in case something happens.”
Royval has experience against Moreno and Pantoja. After winning his first two UFC fights, ‘Raw Dawg’ suffered a severe setback with back-to-back losses against ‘The Assassin Baby’ and ‘The Cannibal'. The number four-ranked UFC flyweight believes it’ll be easy to prepare for both fighters because they have similar skills.
Brandon Royval believes UFC 290 co-main event fighters Brandon Moreno and Alexandre Pantoja have similar skillsets
UFC 290 will be the third time Brandon Moreno and Alexandre Pantoja have fought each other. The first meeting was on The Ultimate Fighter Season 24, and the second at UFC Fight Night 129, with Pantoja winning both. During the same interview on The MMA Hour, Brandon Royval had this to say about Moreno and Pantoja having similar skillsets:
“Fortunately enough for me, Brandon Moreno and Pantoja carry the same skillset. Their jiu-jitsu’s good, their striking’s good. I can just practice for both of them and increase my skills no matter what.”
Regardless of what happens on July 8, Royval will likely be fighting for the UFC flyweight championship sooner rather than later. Since losing back-to-back fights against Moreno and Pantoja, ‘Raw Dawg’ has won three consecutive octagon appearances against Rogerio Bontorin, Matt Schnell, and Matheus Nicolau.
