Brandon Royval says his UFC 329 fight with Lone'er Kavanagh is about more than momentum. It is about his place in the Top 5.
Royval said at UFC 329 media day that he could see the matchup coming after Kavanagh beat Brandon Moreno at UFC Mexico City, and he believes the booking landed fast because the UFC wanted it. The fight is set for the main card this weekend at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
That is why Royval keeps coming back to the rankings. He said he has lived in the Top 5 of the flyweight division for four to five years, most of his UFC career, and does not want to give that ground up now. He called the fight personal because he thinks someone is trying to take his spot and said the promotion is trying to push him out of the Top 5 Flyweight rankings.
There is a reason the matchup makes sense even as Royval frames it as a threat to his standing. Kavanagh is coming off a win over a former two-time Flyweight champion, which has made him one of the division's fastest-rising names, while Royval remains one of the most proven and entertaining Flyweights in the UFC. That combination gives the bout weight outside the usual matchmaking cycle.
Royval also said the timing cuts deeper because he is coming off back-to-back losses, only the second time that has happened in his professional career. He said the fight is exciting and that he knows why it was made so soon after Kavanagh's last win: it gives the UFC a high-level matchup and gives him a chance to make a statement.
What happens next is simple enough. Royval and Kavanagh fight this weekend, and the result will determine whether Royval keeps his long run near the top of the division or gives the UFC exactly the opening he says it wants.
