Brandon Royval turned a statement win into an immediate callout at UFC 329, submitting Lone'er Kavanagh and then setting his sights on Asu Almabayev.
Royval finished Kavanagh by submission at T-Mobile Arena, then used his post-fight moment to target a new challenge. "Asu Alambayev, let's go, baby," Royval said in the cage. "You're the best, you're awesome. I just want a shot at you because you're great."
The flyweight contender emphasized that he wants to stay active and keep pushing toward another run at the UFC flyweight title. "I just want to stay busy, but I'm also a title contender," Royval said. "I'm a title-worthy fighter, so I'm glad I could finally show it. I'm glad I could finally get a finish. It's been a minute since I got a finish, and before I got to the UFC, I was 100 percent finish rate."
Royval, now 18-9 in MMA with an 8-5 UFC record, reflected on the performance itself with a mix of confidence and uncertainty. "I'm going to have to look over it because I don't really remember much of it," he admitted, while praising his early work. He said his first round "was playing out beautifully" and believes the bout ranks among his best, noting, "It has to be in the top five, top three for sure."
Royval also expressed a desire to fight again before October, with his baby due that month.
