Former UFC flyweight title contender Brandon Royval takes on Joshua Van in a pivotal flyweight title eliminator on the main card of UFC 317 this Saturday.
The fight wasn’t always scheduled on the main mard, as Brandon Royval was initially booked on the prelims before an opponent change led to a larger opportunity.
“We got boosted up to the main card cause of Joshua Van… three weeks ago, it was Joshua Van’s fight week and me and the boys were ready to watch. Now I gotta go fight him and be a part of it,” Royval told reporters including Cageside Press on Wednesday.
Royval’s original opponent was none other than Manel Kape, whose injury marked the second cancellation of their bout. Instead of rescheduling that matchup, the UFC jumped on giving a rising flyweight star, Van, the chance to fight Brandon Royval.
Brandon Royval Sees No Experience Advantage
When asked about his experience difference, Royval brushed off any advantages he may have due to Van’s activity.
“His experience is catching up, it’s not like I’m going to go in there thinking anything different… He’s fought on some of the biggest cards of the year, I don’t take any of that as anything,” Royval said, referring to his experience.
The Colorado native didn’t mind the switch of opponents at all, citing Van’s hype and style as the main factors.
“If you compare Joshua Van to Manel Kape, their best wins are the same. What they bring is a little bit of the same.” Royval even went as far as saying, “Joshua Van might be beating them in cooler ways.”
“I still got the realest opponent out there. I still got some kid that’s ready to take everything from me. The most dangerous person is someone with nothing to lose, and he has nothing to lose at all.”
Watch the entire media day scrum with Brandon Royval above. He faces Joshua Van at UFC 317 on Saturday night.
