Tag: Brandon Royval

UFC 253 results: Brandon Royval submits Kai Kara-France after wild brawl

Brandon Royval picked up a submission win over Kai Kara-France at Saturday’s UFC 253 event in Abu Dhabi.

[autotag]Brandon Royval[/autotag] continued his hot run in the UFC on Saturday.

The rising flyweight contender picked up another submission win when he stopped [autotag]Kai Kara-France[/autotag] in the second round of their main card contest at UFC 253 in Abu Dhabi.

Royval (12-4 MMA, 2-0 UFC) and Kara-France (21-9 MMA, 4-2 UFC) went toe-to-toe in a wild brawl that had both fighters hurt and dropped at multiple times in the first round. The high-paced action carried over to Round 2. The flyweights continued to deliver one of the better fights of the night.

In a takedown attempt by Kara-France, Royval was able to lock up a guillotine choke and end the fight at the 0:48 mark of the second roundn.

It was Royval’s second win in the UFC. The 28-year-old fighter made his promotional debut in May and submitted former title challenger Tim Elliott in the second round. Royval is on a four-fight wining streak. Kara-France now finds himself on a 1-2 run after the loss to Royval. He outpointed Tyson Nam in his most recent contest.

Up-to-the-minute UFC 253 results include:

After quitting his day job, UFC 253’s Brandon Royval blessed to focus full time on fighting

Heading into UFC 253, Brandon Royval got to enjoy his first training camp as a full-time fighter.

Heading into UFC 253, [autotag]Brandon Royval[/autotag] got to enjoy his first training camp as a full-time fighter.

After earning the $50,000 “Fight of the Night” bonus for his submission win over Tim Elliott in his UFC debut in May, the former LFA flyweight champion put in his two-weeks’ notice at his day job.

Royval (11-4 MMA, 1-0 UFC), who worked as a security guard at a juvenile detention center, finally got to put his full and undivided attention into fighting and it’s already had a positive impact on his training.

He credits a big sponsorship landed after his debut win, which helped make the decision to quit his job a lot easier.

“I got a sponsorship right after and it helped me out on a day-to-day basis and  Ed and Cyrus from EAP Glass, they reached out to me after my fight, it’s just been unreal,” Royval told MMA Junkie. “I just have people backing me, I can’t even believe it.”

He continued, “I was getting injured, I wasn’t getting sleep, my diet was messed up, all the above. I love this sport so much, I was never gonna miss practice, but at the same time, it was overwhelming. When I wake up in the morning, I was like damn, I would have been getting off work like literally and getting ready to go to practice. The fact that I could just wake up on a full night’s sleep, I don’t even know how I did it.”

Royval faces [autotag]Kai Kara-France[/autotag] on the UFC 253 main card on Saturday, a massive opportunity to be on pay-per-view in just his second UFC fight.

And out of all the matchups he could have asked for, Royval thinks Kara-France (21-8 MMA, 4-1 UFC) is the perfect fight for him.

“I see it going a million different ways,” Royval said. “I don’t see it necessarily playing out a specific way, but I definitely see me overwhelming him a little bit.”

He continued, “Honestly, it’s my style too. I go forward a lot, I throw a lot of punches, I attack a lot when we’re on the ground, and I have a little bit of an overwhelming style, and I think that’ll play into my benefit in this fight.”

UFC 253 takes place Saturday at Flash Forum at Yas Island in Abu Dhabi. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN2 and ESPN+.

Jimmy Flick would love a future UFC showdown with fellow ex-LFA flyweight champ Brandon Royval

Jimmy Flick has his eyes on a future clash with fellow former LFA flyweight champion Brandon Royval now that they’re both in the UFC.

LAS VEGAS – Fresh off his UFC contract, [autotag]Jimmy Flick[/autotag] has his eyes on a fellow former LFA flyweight champion.

Flick (15-5) punched his ticket to the UFC when he submitted Nate Smith in the third round Tuesday at Dana White’s Contender Series 31.

It’s been a big year for Flick, who less than two months after capturing the LFA flyweight title already finds himself as part of the UFC roster.

The submission specialist notched his third straight submission win and is ready to test his skills against top-10 ranked flyweight and fellow LFA champ [autotag]Brandon Royval[/autotag].

“I like Brandon Royval,” Flick told reporters, including MMA Junkie, after his win at the UFC Apex. “He was the last LFA champ and he won in 23 seconds. I won the LFA title in 38 seconds. He jumped in the UFC and he picked up a submission win. He’s got a 23-second submission win, I’ve got a 38-second submission win. That’s a guy I want to get in the future. I think we would match up really well together and we’re both LFA champs, so I would love to fight that guy.”

With the UFC’s flyweight division looking like it was going to dissolve at one point, Flick was uncertain of his future. But with the roster continuing to grow and a new flyweight champion recently crowned, Flick is excited about his future.

“I thought my career was going to be over at mid-20s,” Flick said. “I took a few losses at 135 because we thought the UFC was going to cut the 125-pound division, so that had me worried there for a little bit. But the flyweight division is solidified again and we’ve got Cody Garbrandt coming down. I think that’s going to bring more fans to the flyweight division. And then I went out here and put on an awesome performance and just tell people, ‘Don’t give up.’ I’m 29. I’m at the prime of my career now, and if you look at everybody that fought on the card, not as many fighters have as much experience as I do.”

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Brandon Royval gives day job two weeks’ notice after winning UFC on ESPN 9 bonus

After pocketing a $50,000 “Fight of the Night” bonus, Brandon Royval is using the money to take the next step in his MMA career.

[autotag]Brandon Royval[/autotag] is close to making MMA his full-time job.

The former LFA flyweight champion put in his two-week notice at his day job after winning a $50,000 “Fight of the Night” bonus this past Saturday at UFC on ESPN 9. Royval (11-4 MMA, 1-0 UFC) defeated veteran Tim Ellitott by second-round submission in a fun, back-and-forth bout.

“I’m definitely happy I won at this point, and I’m happy I got the bonus,” Royval told MMA Junkie on Tuesday. “I thought I was a bit undeserving, but with that being said, I’m happy I got it. It’s enough to change my life for the next year, but with that being said, if I want to compete at the highest level and compete in the UFC, that wasn’t going to cut it. That performance wasn’t going to be enough.”

Despite being victorious in his UFC debut over a former title challenger and picking up extra cash, Royval remains critical of his performance.

Either way, “Raw Dawg” is happy he now gets to focus fully on his MMA career. With the $50,000 in his pocket plus what he made from his fight purse, Royval quit his non-fighting gig as a security guard at a juvenile detention center.

“I put in my two-week notice (Tuesday),” Royval said. “I’ve been working since I was 15 years old, so this is the first time I don’t have to have a job, and I can actually pursue MMA. This is the first time.”

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Royval, 27, enjoyed the security job and hopes to be able to once again do something similar when the time is right. But for now, he’s happy with this major step forward.

“I’m really stoked. I asked them if I could go part-time. I knew the option wasn’t going to be there; they weren’t going to go out there and make a special request for me or whatever. But I talked to them and we’re on really good terms,” Royval said. “I get along with my manager, and it’s a job I really like. It’s a job I’m pretty good at, and I will always definitely go back to that job later on. I think even now I’ll go back as a mentor to go mentor some of these kids. But with that being said, I put in my two-week notice today, so that’s a major step in my life.”

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MMA Junkie’s ‘Submission of the Month’ for May: An ankle lock out of nowhere

With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best submission from May 2020.

With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best submissions from May 2020: Here are the five nominees, listed in chronological order, and winner of MMA Junkie’s “Submission of the Month” award for May.

At the bottom of the post, let us know if we got it right by voting for your choice.

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The Nominees

Thiago Moises def. Michael Johnson at UFC on ESPN+ 29

[autotag]Thiago Moises[/autotag] (13-4 MMA, 2-2 UFC) showed why one should never be counted out of a fight when he turned the tables on Michael Johnson (19-16 MMA, 11-12 UFC) for the biggest win of his career.

After getting picked apart for the first round, Moises came out in the second and bum-rushed Johnson. He managed to tie Johnson up and falling back into an ankle lock. The tap came quickly after, and Moises was awarded the victor in a stunning comeback.

Cortney Casey def. Mara Romero Borella at UFC on ESPN 8

[autotag]Cortney Casey[/autotag] (9-7 MMA, 5-6 UFC) picked up arguably the best win of her UFC career on Saturday when she finished Mara Romero Borella (12-8 MMA, 2-4 UFC) in resounding fashion at UFC on ESPN 8.

Casey not only finished Borella in the first round, but she did it with an armbar that caused the Brazilian to scream out loud while tapping out. The victory marked a successful move up to the women’s flyweight division for Casey after spending her previous 10 octagon appearances at strawweight.

Casey Kenney def. Louis Smolka at UFC on ESPN 9

Bantamweight prospect [autotag]Casey Kenney[/autotag] (15-3-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) submitted veteran Louis Smolka (16-7 MMA, 7-7 UFC) in perhaps the best performance of his career.

Kenney wobbled Smolka early in the first round and then sunk in a one-arm guillotine choke to finish the bout. With the win, Kenney rebounded from his first octagon defeat.

Brandon Royval def. Tim Elliott at UFC on ESPN 9

Former LFA champion [autotag]Brandon Royval[/autotag] (11-4 MMA, 1-0 UFC) took the first step toward getting to title contention at the highest level when he put away Tim Elliott (15-11-1 MMA, 4-9 UFC) in a “Fight of the Night” affair.

Royval submitted longtime UFC fighter and former title challenger Elliott with an arm-triangle choke. Royval was a slight underdog in the fight and got the stoppage at the 3:18 mark of the middle round.

Mackenzie Dern def. Hannah Cifers via kneebar at UFC on ESPN 9

[autotag]Mackenzie Dern[/autotag] (8-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) had to work through a relentless Hannah Cifers (10-5 MMA, 2-3 UFC) in the early going, but ultimately did what she does best.

Dern made relatively quick work of Cifers – but only after she was able to get the fight to the canvas, where she forced Cifers to tap with a kneebar. The finish for Dern, the biggest favorite on the card, was the first leg-related submission in a women’s UFC fight.

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The Winner: Thiago Moises

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Moises picked up the biggest win of his career when he defeated Johnson in a stunning turnaround.

In the beginning of the fight it seemed the version of Johnson who owns victories over the likes of Tony Ferguson and Dustin Poirier had arrived. He stopped Moises’ takedowns and got his striking off in the first round of the lightweight bout, which took place at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla.

Then the second round came, and Moises was a different fighter. He rushed Johnson immediately and pulled guard when he was met with resistance. From there, he fell back and locked in a tight heel hook that forced Johnson to tap out at the 0:25 mark of Round 2.

The defeat put Johnson on a three-fight skid and dropped him to 3-8 in his past 11 UFC appearances. He appeared to suffer damage to his knee during the finish, too.

Moises, for his part, completed his UFC contract with a big finish. He made it clear he wants to stick around with a new contract, and called out former lightweight champ Anthony Pettis.

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UFC on ESPN 9 medical suspensions: Two fighters face potential 180-day layoffs

Two fighters face potential lengthy suspensions as a result of their UFC on ESPN 9 fights on Saturday.

Two fighters face potential six-month suspensions as a result of their UFC on ESPN 9 fights Saturday.

The Nevada Athletic Commission (NAC) handed [autotag]Spike Carlyle[/autotag] and [autotag]Vince Morales[/autotag] potential 180-day terms for injuries sustained in their respective bouts.

UFC headliners [autotag]Tyron Woodley[/autotag] and [autotag]Gilbert Burns[/autotag] were each suspended, with Woodley getting 45 days due to a facial laceration. Burns, who was victorious after a five-round unanimous decision, was handed a potential 30-day suspensions.

MMA Junkie obtained a list of the UFC on ESPN 9 athletes’ medical suspensions from the NAC on Monday. Fighters can return sooner than the duration of their suspension if cleared by a doctor.

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UFC on ESPN 9 took place Saturday at UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The event simulcasted on ESPN and ESPN+.

The complete list of UFC on ESPN 9 medical suspensions:

  • Gilbert Burns: Suspended 30 days; no contact for 21 days
  • Tyron Woodley: Suspended 45 days or until left eyebrow laceration is cleared by physician; no contact for 30 days
  • [autotag]Augusto Sakai[/autotag]: Suspended 30 days; no contact for 21 days
  • [autotag]Blagoy Ivanov[/autotag]: Suspended 30 days; no contact for 21 days
  • [autotag]Billy Quarantillo[/autotag]: Suspended 30 days; no contact for 21 days
  • Spike Carlyle: Suspended 180 days or until left knee MRI is cleared by an orthopedic physician; no contact for 21 days
  • [autotag]Roosevelt Roberts[/autotag]: No suspension
  • [autotag]Brok Weaver[/autotag]: Suspended 30 days; no contact for 21 days
  • [autotag]Mackenzie Dern[/autotag]: No suspension
  • [autotag]Hannah Cifers[/autotag]: No suspension
  • [autotag]Katlyn Chookagian[/autotag]: No suspension
  • [autotag]Antonina Shevchenko[/autotag]: Suspended 30 days; no contact for 21 days
  • [autotag]Daniel Rodriguez[/autotag]: No suspension
  • [autotag]Gabe Green[/autotag]: No suspension
  • [autotag]Jamahal Hill[/autotag]: No suspension
  • [autotag]Klidson Abreu[/autotag]: Suspended 45 days; no contact for 30 days
  • [autotag]Brandon Royval[/autotag]: No suspension
  • [autotag]Tim Elliott[/autotag]: Suspended 30 days; no contact for 21 days
  • [autotag]Casey Kenney[/autotag]: No suspension
  • [autotag]Louis Smolka[/autotag]: Suspended 30 days; no contact for 21 days
  • [autotag]Chris Gutierrez[/autotag]: No suspension
  • Vince Morales: Suspended 180 days or until right orbital fracture is cleared by opthalmologist with minimum 45-day suspension; no contact for 30 days

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UFC on ESPN 9 salaries: Tyron Woodley, Gilbert Burns top list of highest paydays

UFC on ESPN 9 headliners Tyron Woodley and Gilbert Burns topped the list of fight night paydays.

The UFC on ESPN 9 headliners were paid as such, respective to the rest of the card.

According to a Nevada State Athletic Commission (NAC) document acquired by MMA Junkie on Monday, former UFC welterweight champion [autotag]Tyron Woodley[/autotag] topped the list of highest earners with a $200,000 paydays, despite his loss to [autotag]Gilbert Burns[/autotag], who earned $164,000.

Two other fighters earned six figures. Co-main event winner [autotag]Augusto Sakai[/autotag] earned $100,000 in a winning effort against [autotag]Blagoy Ivanov[/autotag]. Former UFC women’s flyweight title challenger [autotag]Katlyn Chookagian[/autotag] took home $120,000 for her victory over [autotag]Antonina Shevchenko[/autotag] in the featured prelim bout.

UFC on ESPN 9 took place Saturday at UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The main card and prelims simulcasted on ESPN and ESPN+.

The full list of UFC on ESPN+ 29 salaries included:

  • Gilbert Burns: $164,000 (includes $84,000 win bonus) def. Tyron Woodley: ($200,000)
  • Augusto Sakai: $100,000 (includes $50,000 win bonus) def. Blagoy Ivanov ($60,000)
  • [autotag]Billy Quarantillo[/autotag]: $24,000 (includes $12,000 win bonus) def. [autotag]Spike Carlyle[/autotag]: $12,000
  • [autotag]Roosevelt Roberts[/autotag]: $44,000 (includes $22,000 win bonus) def. [autotag]Brok Weaver[/autotag] $12,000
  • [autotag]Mackenzie Dern[/autotag]: $66,000 (includes $33,000 win bonus) def. [autotag]Hannah Cifers[/autotag]: $25,000
  • Katlyn Chookagian: $120,000 (includes $60,000 win bonus) def. Antonina Shevchenko: $35,000
  • [autotag]Daniel Rodriguez[/autotag]: $24,000 (includes $12,000 win bonus) def. [autotag]Gabriel Green[/autotag]: $12,000
  • [autotag]Jamahal Hill[/autotag]: $24,000 (includes $12,000 win bonus) def. [autotag]Klidson Abreu[/autotag]: $18,000
  • [autotag]Brandon Royval[/autotag]: $24,000 (includes $12,000 win bonus) def. [autotag]Tim Elliott[/autotag]: $31,000
  • [autotag]Casey Kenney[/autotag]: $54,000 (includes $27,000 win bonus) def. [autotag]Louis Smolka[/autotag]: $48,000
  • [autotag]Chris Gutierrez[/autotag]: $40,000 (includes $20,000 win bonus) def. [autotag]Vince Morales[/autotag]: $20,000

The figures do not include deductions for items such as insurance, licenses and taxes. Additionally, the figures do not include money paid by sponsors, including the official UFC on ESPN 9 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay. They also do not include any other “locker room” or special discretionary bonuses the UFC sometimes pays. They also do not include pay-per-view cuts that some top-level fighters receive.

For example, UFC officials handed out additional $50,000 UFC 249 fight-night bonuses to Burns and Dern for “Performance of the Night,” and Royval and Elliott for “Fight of the Night.”

In other words, the above figures are simply base salaries reported to the commission and do not reflect entire compensation packages for the event.

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Brandon Royval wants to quit his day job despite disappointment at UFC on ESPN 9

Take a look inside Brandon Royval’s submission of Tim Elliott at UFC on ESPN 9 in Las Vegas.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Brandon Royval[/autotag] beat Tim Elliott with a second-round submission Saturday on the preliminary card at UFC on ESPN 9 in Las Vegas.

Take a look inside the fight with Royval, a former LFA flyweight champion who won for the third straight time in his promotional debut.

Result: Brandon Royval def. Tim Elliott via submission (arm triangle choke) – Round 2, 3:18
Updated records: Royval (11-4 MMA, 1-0 UFC), Elliott (15-11-1 MMA, 4-9 UFC)
Key stat: Elliott landed four takedowns and outstruck Royval 40-22, but Royval made the most of his opportunity the final time the fight hit the canvas.

Royval on the fight’s key moment

“I felt a little slow out there, and I felt that was a little bit of my main problem out there. I’m not completely embarrassed with my performance, but I know I can do better than that.”

Royval on disappointment in a submission win

“I was kind of bummed at my performance, honestly. I think I’m an exciting fighter, and I think I can do a lot better than that. I think I can do a lot better than just winning that way. I shouldn’t get taken down like that. I shouldn’t be losing those scrambles. I should be knocking people out and turning heads.”

Royval on what he wants next

“I want to be able to quit my job, first and foremost. I think I’ve been saying it over and over again, but I want to make this my life. I want to be in the gym. I’m in the gym full-time, but I’m there full-time with like three hours of sleep and I’m working these jobs just so that I can make it and pay my mortgage and all this stuff. I want to make MMA my full-time life. I’ve put a lot of work in. I’ve been training since I was 16 years old. I just want to get out of this sport what I put in. I put in a lot of stuff. I put in a lot of love, and I just want to get that out of it.”

To hear more from Royval, check out the video of the full post-fight interview above.

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UFC on ESPN 9 rookie report: Grading the newcomers in Las Vegas

Fighters from around the globe dream of the day they’ll step into the octagon the first time. How did the two newcomers perform Saturday?

Fighters from around the globe dream of the day they’ll step into the UFC octagon for the first time. For two athletes, Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 9 event marked that special moment in their career.

Check out this week’s rookie report to see what kind of first impression they made on the sport’s biggest stage from the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

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Brandon Royval

Division: Flyweight
Result: Brandon Royval def. Tim Elliott via submission (arm-triangle choke) – Round 2, 3:18
Record: 11-4 MMA, 1-0 UFC
Grade: B+

Denver flyweight [autotag]Brandon Royval[/autotag] was handed a tough task for his UFC debut, but the former LFA flyweight champion passed the test with flying colors with an impressive submission finish.

Royval’s second-round arm-triangle finish of flyweight veteran Tim Elliott was one of the night’s outstanding performances at UFC on ESPN 9 as he earned a win on his octagon debut over ranked opposition and bagged a cool $50,000 “Performance of the Night” bonus in the process.

UFC veteran Elliott has shared the octagon with some of the division’s best over his previous 13 fights for the promotion, and his ability to take the fight to the mat certainly gave Royval problems early on. But, the debutant showed excellent composure as he worked his way into the fight, then used Elliott’s aggression against him to score an impressive submission win.

Despite being forced to fight off the back foot, and his back, in the opening five minutes Royval showed that he’s dangerous in the scrambles as he threatened with a Kimura, then an armbar, during an action-packed first round. And when the action got underway in Round 2, Royval turned the tables and enjoyed some top-position pressure of his own.

At times Royval over-committed with his strikes as he attempted to establish his stand-up game, but despite being punished with another Elliott takedown midway through the round, the debutant once again showed his scrambling ability as turned the tables on Elliott and locked up an arm-triangle choke to force the tap.

Royval showed great composure under duress, impressive cardio against a relentless opponent and the grappling smarts to create a submission opening, then finish it. There’s some room for improvement – we didn’t see the best of his striking game –  but against such a high-octane opponent, Royval showed plenty to suggest that he’ll pose a serious threat at 125 pounds.

He also gave a hint that there’s much more to come, too. Royval was close to tears with disappointment as he spoke to Daniel Cormier after the fight. To be that disappointed after finishing the No. 11-ranked contender on his debut shows that he’s set sky-high standards for himself. If he comes closer to meeting them in his next few performances, we could soon see him right up there at the sharp end of the division.

Next up: All-action welterweight has plenty of upside, despite defeat

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