Kansas City, MO – UFC flyweight Brandon Royval made yet another statement on his run to a title shot when he defeated #5 ranked Matheus Nicolau at UFC Kansas City on Saturday night.
The title shot may not be his just yet, but Royval did say he would be the backup for the title fight between Brandon Moreno and Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 290 in July.
“I’m going to be the backup in July. I think that’s already been discussed. Dana White said it himself. He said ‘this is a title eliminator’. They want statements to be made,” Royval told reporters including Cageside Press on Saturday.
“I told Mick Maynard. I said ‘Yo, sign Matheus Nicolau’, because they weren’t going to sign him. I said ‘sign Matheus Nicolau and i’ll put him away’. I said i’ll make an exciting fight. There’s no way this is going to be a boring fight. I promise you and i’ll put him away.”
Given that he’ll be the backup for the flyweight title fight, should he not be needed on July 8, it’s safe to say that he would be next up for winner.
“It’d be really cool to see Pantoja win again and get that 3-0 vs. Moreno so I can match up with him next and beat his ass. Nothing against the guy, he’s an amazing person, but I have a bone to pick with him,” Royval said.
It wasn’t just Pantoja that Royval has an issue with. He also took aim at people who bet against him.
“F*ck everybody that’s betting against me bro, f*ck you guys. People always bet against me. It’s like what are you guys betting on? People are telling me I’m going to get knocked out,” he said.
“I go and put my f*cking self out there. I go fight my ass off and I’m the most dangerous dude in this division and it’s like what do you guys want from a mother f*cker?”
Watch the entire post-fight scrum with Brandon Royval above.
