Brandon Royval defeated Brandon Moreno in a split decision win at the UFC Mexico City main event, four years after their first fight ended with Moreno scoring a TKO due to Royval’s injury.
After a near four-year wait, Brandon Royval finally got his sweet revenge. He clinched a hard-earned split decision victory over Brandon Moreno in the UFC Mexico City main event.
Their first clash ended with Moreno’s TKO win after Royval’s injury. However, after a disappointing title fight in January, Royval, a hardcore Nate and Nick Diaz fan, had a point to prove. He adopted a similar strategy as the UFC veterans, exhibiting high output, volume striking, and a relentless pace. He may have lost some early rounds, but he kept Moreno on his toes, throwing over 400 strikes in the five-round bout.
The final scorecards were interesting. Two judges gave Royval a 48-47 win, while the third scored 49-46 for Moreno. But that was enough for Royval to get the nod, marking his return to the win column and a satisfying conclusion to his rematch with Moreno.
Royval didn’t hold back after his win. He channeled the Diaz brothers and sent a strong message to UFC flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja, who was watching the action unfold from a few feet away.
“I’m a f****** gangster,” he roared. “I’m the realest in this f****** flyweight division. Everyone’s always trying to grab me. Speaking of which, I hear Pantoja’s around, let’s run that s*** back, motherf*****.”
Saturday’s headliner saw caution from both fighters. Royval was the aggressor, with Moreno acting as the counter fighter. Royval’s lead jab connected well, but power punches were a struggle.
Moreno, on the other hand, used speed and footwork to land his biggest shots. This included a stiff right hand that kept finding Royval’s chin. Royval also had to deal with a foot injury, limiting his kicks, but he stayed in Moreno’s face throughout the fight.
Moreno spent most of his time reacting to Royval’s attacks. This allowed Royval to display better output and volume. He stayed in Moreno’s face, peppering him without leaving himself open for a big punch.
As the fight moved into the fourth round, Moreno found a successful combo. A big right hook followed by a stiff leg kick. This led to more aggression from Royval, including a hard punch that snapped Moreno’s head back before Royval snatched a takedown against the cage.
With his head coach’s encouragement, Moreno applied more pressure in the fifth round. He popped Royval in the eye with a well-timed punch. Moreno then slowed the action with a takedown attempt, but the flyweights ended up clinched against the cage, forcing referee Herb Dean to break them apart and restart in the center.
From there, Royval was constantly in Moreno’s face with a right jab and a hard left behind it. His “death by a thousand cuts” strategy continued to chip away at the former champion.
With a minute remaining, Moreno started emptying the tank, but Royval kept firing right back at him. There was no slowing down, as both fighters flurried wildly until the final horn.
While Royval’s accuracy wasn’t necessarily on point throughout, his non-stop attacks rarely gave Moreno the chance to surge ahead, especially during the final 15 minutes of the fight. It may not have been the highlight-reel finish he wanted, but Royval got the win, which is ultimately all that matters.
The victory puts Royval right back in the race for the flyweight title. However, with two losses to Pantoja, it’s unknown if he’ll get another shot at the champion right away. As for Moreno, he’s now suffered back-to-back losses for the first time since 2017-18, which came just before his release from the UFC.