Brandon Royval reveals he likely underwent major injury "in the first minute" against Brandon Moreno at UFC Mexico City
Brandon Royval has recently opened up about the knee injury he suffered against Brandon Moreno at UFC Mexico City.
Royval moved a step closer to securing another flyweight title shot with a dominant performance against the former flyweight champion. The two squared off in the main event of UFC Mexico City after Moreno's initial opponent, Amir Albazi, withdrew from the fight last month. After five rounds of action, 'Raw Dawg' was declared the winner by a split decision.
After throwing a kick in the opening minutes of round 1, it appeared that the American had injured his ankle. However, in a post on social media, Rovyal revealed that he nearly injured his knee in the first minute of the fight, writing:
''From public enemy number 1 to number 1 contender. Came off the couch for a short notice fight against a former champion in his hometown. Most likely tore my MCL in the first minute of the fight. Hate it or love it though the underdogs on top.''
Check out the post below:
Following his win against Moreno, the former title challenger was interviewed by ESPN MMA, where he discussed his knee injury. He said:
"I don't know what happened, but I missed a kick right away and my knee popped, it did something weird. I couldn't put weight on it, and right off the bat I'm like, 'I don't know what it is about this kid, but I break. I'm breaking.' I'm happy I could push through."
Catch Brandon Royval's comments below (2:00):
Brandon Royval wants Alexandre Pantoja next
After winning at UFC Mexico City, Brandon Royval didn't waste any time facing off against Alexandre Pantoja. The 31-year-old had a brief interaction with the UFC flyweight champion, who was present in the arena.
During the post-fight press conference, Royval was asked about his future plans. 'Raw Dawg' stated that he hopes to face Pantoja in a trilogy fight at UFC 301. He said:
"UFC 301, I'm gonna fight Pantoja and I'm gonna take his bout in his hometown at Rio De Janeiro and...after I win that bout, I'll defend my belt in Denver, Colorado."
Catch Brandon Royval's comments below (1:00:50):
Pantoja and Royval have previously shared the octagon twice. In their first encounter, which took place in 2021, the Brazilian won via submission in the second round. Later, the two met at UFC 296 in December of last year, when 'The Cannibal' made his first title defense. Pantoja won the fight via unanimous decision.