Brandon Royval enters UFC Vegas 112 with more than a main-event spotlight on his shoulders, he steps into the final card of the year knowing a title shot may hang in the balance. With Manel Kape standing in his way, the flyweight contender finds himself once again chasing momentum that he hopes leads him to UFC gold.
Royval (17-8) has never shied away from embracing chaos, and he expects nothing less in Saturday’s flyweight headliner. Confident in both his pressure and pace, he made it clear he plans to dictate the fight from the opening bell.
“Just want to walk him down. I just want to get in his face, put a leash on him, and dog walk his ass all around that cage,” Royval told reporters on Wednesday.
“I’m sure we’re going to bang it out.”
Royval knows exactly what fans expect when his name is on a marquee, and he’s leaning into the reputation he’s built over years of all-action performances. As he prepares for another high-stakes showcase, he’s embracing the chaos that has defined his style.
“I’m sure it’s going to be an exciting fight. I don’t have this many ‘fight of the night’s’ for no reason. I guess it’s time to connect another one,” he said.
The UFC flyweight title recently changed hands when Joshua Van became the new champion after Alexandre Pantoja suffered an injury just seconds into their fight. Royval, who lost to Van in June, shared his thoughts on the division’s newly crowned titleholder.
“I just kinda thought I was a f*cking idiot (when I fought Van). When you watch the fight back, and to be fair I really just told everybody what I was going to do and I went out there and did it. I went there and tried to box a boxer,” said Royval.
“I wanted to fight in the pocket, really wanted to just give the fans fight of the night.”
Royval didn’t hide his intentions against Van. He talked openly about his game plan leading into the fight, and then followed through with it, even against his coaches’ wishes.
“My corner strongly advised against that, but maybe if the last ten seconds doesn’t happen I win fighting his style,” he said.
“That being said now I just get to go out there and make up for it, fight Manel Kape, and show what I can do.”
Watch the entire media day scrum with Brandon Royval above. He faces Manel Kape in the main event of UFC Vegas 112 on Saturday night.
