In the flyweight preliminary bout, Brandon Moreno and Brandon Royval meet at UFC 255 Saturday at the UFC’s APEX facility in Las Vegas. The early prelims kick off at 6:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2/ESPN+, followed by the prelims at 8 p.m. ET and the main card at 10 p.m. ET on pay-per-view.
Moreno (17-5-1) checks into this one standing two inches shorter than his counterpart but has a two-inch reach advantage. The jiu-jitsu specialist has won each of his past two fights by unanimous decision since a split-decision draw against Askar Askarov at UFC Fight Night on Sept. 21, 2019. The wins came against Jussier Formiga (March 14, 2020) and Kai Kara-France (Dec. 14, 2019), so Moreno has been impressive in his second stint with UFC after a brief departure.
The southpaw Royval (12-4) has managed 3.90 significant strikes landed per minute, with a 52.88 significant strikes-accuracy percentage to 34.76 for Moreno. Like Moreno, Royval has faced Kara-France, posting a second-round submission on Sept. 26 in his most recent fight at UFC 253. In fact, both of Royval’s wins at the UFC level have been via submission, and he has tapped out each of his past four opponents dating back to an appearance at LFA 65 against Joby Sanchez. Royval does his best work on the mat, and the armbar and triangle choke are his go-to moves. In 16 career professional bouts, eight have ended via submission (all wins), while posting three KO/TKO victories (3-0).
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Brandon Moreno vs. Brandon Royval: Betting odds, predictions and picks
Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 1:27 a.m. ET.
ROYVAL (+145) is a strong play as a moderate underdog because of his ability on the canvas. He can win in a variety of ways, as he can tap his foe, win a toe-to-toe brawl or use his technique to wow the judges, if needed. The No. 6-ranked flyweight is a value play because of his ability to finish. In this battle of the Brandons, look for Royval to pick up the victory over the top contender in the division. It’s hard to believe that this fight isn’t part of the main card, but enjoy the treat before the pay-per-view begins.
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Also see:
- UFC 255 predictions (MMA Junkie)
- Burning questions heading into UFC 255 (MMA Junkie)
- More UFC/MMA coverage from MMA Junkie
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