Flyweight action has been lined up for the UFC’s final event of 2022.
Brandon Royval is set to face Amir Albazi at the UFC’s Fight Night event on December 17, 2022. News of the booking was first reported by Eurosport; Royval subsequently confirmed the match-up on social media.
The fight sees “Raw Dawg,” who probably should do something about that nickname, in search of his third straight win inside the UFC’s 125lb weight class. Royval was expected to compete earlier this month against Askar Askarov — but weight management issues on the part of his opponent scuttled the fight.
Royval earned a Fight of the Night bonus the last time he actually did compete, against Matt Schnell at UFC 274. The win for Royval came by way of a guillotine choke. Prior to that, the 30-year old notched a win over Rogerio Bontorin.
Albazi, who has previously competed for Bellator MMA and Brave CF, has won four straight fights, three of which have come inside the octagon. Most recently, he submitted Francisco Figueiredo.
“The Prince” was originally slated to face Alex Perez on the card. No reason has been reported for the change in opponent.
The UFC’s December 17 Fight Night card will take place at the Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. The following match-ups have been reported for the event:
- Jared Cannonier vs. Sean Strickland
- Jamal Pogues vs. Tafon Nchukwi
- Julian Marquez vs. Deron Winn
- Sergey Morozov vs. Journey Newson
- Amir Albazi vs. Brandon Royval
- Michał Oleksiejczuk vs. Albert Duraev
- Damir Ismagulov vs. Arman Tsarukyan
- Michael Morales vs. Rinat Fakhretdinov
- Rafa García vs. Hayisaer Maheshate
- Cheyanne Vlismas vs. Cory McKenna
- Said Nurmagomedov vs. Saidyokub Kakhramonov
- Brandon Royval vs. Amir Albazi
