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Brandon Royval Recalls Knee 'Popping' Moments Into Brandon Moreno Fight: 'It Was The Scariest Thing Ever'

Originally posted on MMA News | By Harvey Leonard | Last updated 2/26/24

Flyweight contender Brandon Royval emerged as one of the biggest winners from this past weekend's UFC Fight Night in Mexico City, but the victory certainly did not come easy.

Weeks on from his failed title challenge against Alexandre Pantoja, Royval answered the late-notice call to replace Amir Albazi for Saturday's headliner in Mexico, where he ran it back with a home country favorite in former two-time champion Brandon Moreno.

Having had their first contest end prematurely when "Raw Dawg" suffered a dislocated shoulder in 2020, the underdog was targeting redemption opposite "The Assassin Baby."

He got just that on the scorecards, earning a hard-fought decision following five rounds of action to upset the sold-out crowd inside Arena CDMX.

But Royval wasn't exiting the venue on quick footing in the aftermath, having suffered a leg injury just moments into the main event contest.

Royval: My Game Plan Almost 'Went Out The Window' In Minute One

During an appearance on ESPN's UFC Post Show following his triumph in Mexico City, Royval reflected on his performance in the event's headliner and the adversity he dealt with en route to going the full 25 minutes.

The American described the moment his knee "popped" in the very first minute, noting that he feared an inability to implement the kicking-heavy game plan that ultimately paved the way for his victory.

"I don't know what happened. I missed the kick right away and my knee like, it popped," Royval said. "I couldn't put weight on it. Right off the bat, I'm like, 'I don't know what it is about this kid, but like, I break.'

"I'm happy I could push through. I'm happy I could fight another 24 minutes after that," Royval continued. "It was the scariest thing ever, 'cause like, my whole game plan was to kick Moreno. Moreno's pretty heavy on his feet, on his foot. My whole game plan was, 'Land kicks, kicks, kicks,' and within a minute, my whole game plan almost went out the window. But then I'm like, 'I gotta do it.' That was one of my big regrets against Pantoja; I stopped kicking."

Thankfully for Royval, he was able to fight through the injury and do enough to secure two of the three judges' scorecards for the split decision.

He'll now set his sights on a third crack at handing champ Pantoja a loss, with the Brazilian seemingly in need of an opponent for a home title defense in Rio de Janeiro this coming May.