Joshua Van defeats Brandon Royval at UFC 317 in potential Fight of the Year

UFC 317 featured the top flyweights in the world. Along with the title bout between champion Alexandre Pantoja and Kai Kara-France in the fight card's co-main event, the fight card also showcased the top contender in the division, Brandon Royval, taking on rising star Joshua Van.

Royval entered the fight riding a two-fight winning streak. He was originally scheduled to face No. 6 ranked Manel Kape but Kape was forced out of the fight with a foot injury. Van, who just fought three weeks ago, stepped up on short notice.

Van made the walk to the octagon carrying a four-fight winning streak. He knocked out Bruno Silva on June 7 to earn a spot in the rankings. "The Fearless" was looking to pick up the biggest win of his career by taking out the No. 1 contender. 

Royval put his jab in Van's face early in the opening round. He invested in leg kicks. Van inched forward but didn't throw a punch through the first minute. He connected with a counter left hand. A right hand found its home and force Royval backward. Royval went to the body with a kick. Midway through the round, Van connected with another right hand. 

'when Royval moved into the pocket, Van met him with punches. Van connected with a right hand that knocked Royval down. Royval looked to have been caught off balance and immediately got back to his feet. Van's right hand began landing regularly. Royval went to the body with punches and continued to land his jab. MMAWeekly scored the round 10-9 for Van but it was a close round with Royval having much more output. 

Royval worked on the outside behind his jab in the second. Van landed a clean right hand but Royval took it. They pace picked up with the two exchanging. Royval connected with a stiff left hand. Royval landed a combination that got Van's attention. Van fired back with a left hand. Royval's left hand started to find a home. Van met Royval with a right hand as Royval moved forward. Royval put together a combination. Van responded with a 1-2 to the body. Royval pressured Van. Van connected with a hard combination. Royval responded with a left. MMAWeekly scored the round 10-9 for Royval.

Van pressed forward to start the final frame. Royval went back to landing his jab followed by a kick to the body. Royval pressed forward with a flurry. Van landed a right hand counter. Royval went to the body with a kick and rotated away. Van stepped in the pocket with a combination. Royval went on the attack and delivered a combination of his own. Royval picked up the pressure. The pace was incredible. They exchanged combinations. Royval landed a combination with a minute remaining. Van connected with a combination. He landed a huge left hand. They slugged it out in the final seconds and Van dropped Royval with a right hand. MMAWeekly scored the round 10-9 for Van in a Fight of the Year candidate. 

The judges scored the fight for Van via unanimous decision. The scorecards read 29–28, 29–28, and 30–27.