Ranked flyweights kicked off the UFC 274 televised prelims in Phoenix, Arizona on Saturday, as #9 125’er Matt Schnell took on #6-ranked Brandon Royval.
Coincidentally, both fighters had been up against Rogerio Bontorin in their last outing: Royval picked up a split decision win in January, while Schnell had lost a decision to the Brazilian, only to have it overturned when Bontorin failed his drug test.
Schnell was also entering the fight with a heavy heart, having recently suffered the loss of his mother.
Both fighters took the center of the octagon after a touch of gloves. Schnell immediately landed a combo on Royval. Forty seconds into the fight and both fighters landed combos. Just under four minutes left left, and Schnell dropped Royval with a punch. Schnell went down, and Royval grabbed his leg. An omoplata attempt from Royval followed, but Schnell escaped. Schnell grabbed Royval’s neck but nothing came of that. Royval then snatched a guillotine and forced Schnell to tap quickly!
What an incredible fight for as long as it lasted.
That is two straight wins for Royval, and he defended his No. 6 flyweight ranking. For Schnell, that would be two losses in a row, but is technically just one, as Rogério Bontorin tested positive for a banned substance, and the loss was overturned.
It’s hard not to feel sympathy for Schnell given he was still coping with a very personal loss coming into Saturday, and we send our thanks to “Danger” for taking the fight while dealing with the loss of his mother.
Official Result: Brandon Royval def. Matt Schnell by submission (guillotine choke) Round 1, 2:14
