Brandon Royval wanted the toughest fight he could get in his return and that’s exactly what he got.
Back in November at UFC 255, Royval fought Brandon Moreno, and at the end of the first round, he dislocated his shoulder and the fight was called. Following that, he had surgery which he says was much-needed.
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“I had 100 percent needed surgery, got surgery, got reconstructive surgery done and I needed that,” Royval said on Just Scrap Radio on BJPENN.com. “I was happy I got that done and as you saw in the Moreno fight, the shoulder came out like nothing. For it to come out on something so minor shows how bad I needed that surgery. I’m glad I could get that done.”
When he got cleared to return, Royval told his management he didn’t want to fight below him. Instead, he was still looking ahead and he wanted a fight that motivated him and that was Alexandre Pantoja.
The two will meet at UFC Vegas 34 on Saturday and for Royval, he believes it’s a fight between the two scariest flyweights.
“For me, I didn’t want to take any steps back so it was either Alexandre Pantoja or Askar Askarov. Pantoja is the more dangerous opponent. I know Askarov won their fight between them but he doesn’t scare me,” Royval said. “If I fought Askarov, I’m not worried about getting knocked out or finished, I’m worried about getting wrestlef****d for 15 minutes. Pantoja, besides me, is the scariest flyweight in the division. We both have a finisher’s mentality and he tries to knock people dead and goes for submissions, which motivates me. This is the hardest flyweight fight there is. We are the two scariest flyweight fighters.”
Although Brandon Royval knows Pantoja is dangerous, he is confident he has the skill set to nullify that and finish the Brazilian. “Raw Dawg” also says he plans on making a statement and reminding everyone he is a top contender at 125lbs.
“I have to go in there and make a statement,” Royval said. “I plan on finishing him. A finish over him also shows I’m the deadliest guy in the division.”
If Royval gets his hand raised on Saturday at UFC Vegas 34, he hopes the win earns him a rematch with Brandon Moreno. He believes they have unfinished business and it’s also a scrap that the fans want to see.
“If I go out there and finish Pantoja like I don’t think anyone is excited to see Askarov fight at all, maybe a couple of Russians, but as far as that goes, I think everybody wants to see me vs. Brandon Moreno again,” Royval concluded. “That’s the f*****g fight to make. If they don’t do Figgy-Moreno 3, then give me that fight, that’s the firefight. There’s unfinished business there. It was a close first round, I wasn’t getting my ass whooped. But, that being said, I have the hardest fight in the flyweight division in front of me.”
Do you think Brandon Royval will beat Alexandre Pantoja at UFC Vegas 34?