Brandon Royval dropped a hard-fought unanimous decision to Joshua Van at UFC 317 in one of the most frenetic three-round battles in UFC history. Early on, Royval used his length, pace, and volume to frustrate Van, but the surging prospect’s heavy counters, power punches, and final-round knockdown sealed the win on the scorecards (29-28, 29-28, 30-27). The bout earned Fight of the Night honors and set a new record for significant strikes in a three-round flyweight fight, underscoring Royval’s trademark chaos and toughness. Despite the setback, the #3-ranked Royval remains one of the division’s most dangerous submission threats and most consistently entertaining contenders.
Next up for Brandon Royval should be a trilogy bout with #2-ranked Brandon Moreno. These two have shared an iconic rivalry, splitting their series 1–1 in the UFC so far. Moreno finished Royval in 2020, but Royval got his revenge in February 2024 with a razor-close split decision in Mexico City. Both are coming off high-volume wars — Royval’s record-setting loss to Van, and Moreno’s two consecutive decision wins over Amir Albazi and Steve Erceg. Stylistically, their second fight showed how evenly matched they are now, with Royval’s pace, scrambling, and opportunistic submissions clashing perfectly with Moreno’s boxing, durability, and grappling defense.
It’s the right time to break the tie, with both men needing another big win to solidify their claim to another title shot against Pantoja. Royval vs. Moreno 3 is a five-round main event or PPV main-card feature waiting to happen — guaranteed action, storyline-rich, and with real divisional consequences.
Last Five Fights – Brandon Royval:
1. Loss to Joshua Van – Decision (unanimous), UFC 317 (June 28, 2025)
2. Win over Tatsuro Taira – Decision (split), UFC Fight Night (October 14, 2024)
3. Win over Brandon Moreno – Decision (split), UFC Fight Night (February 24, 2024)
4. Loss to Alexandre Pantoja – Decision (unanimous), UFC 296 (December 16, 2023) – for UFC Flyweight Championship
5. Win over Matheus Nicolau – KO (knee and elbows), UFC on ESPN (April 15, 2023)
Last Five Fights – Brandon Moreno:
1. Win over Steve Erceg – Decision (unanimous), UFC on ESPN (March 29, 2025)
2. Win over Amir Albazi – Decision (unanimous), UFC Fight Night (November 2, 2024)
3. Loss to Brandon Royval – Decision (split), UFC Fight Night (February 24, 2024)
4. Loss to Alexandre Pantoja – Decision (split), UFC 290 (July 8, 2023) – for UFC Flyweight Championship
5. Win over Deiveson Figueiredo – TKO (doctor stoppage), UFC 283 (January 21, 2023) – for UFC Flyweight Championship
