Alexandre Pantoja vs Brandon Royval Preview & Picks
Alexandre Pantoja is tipped to retain the UFC flyweight title.
Pantoja is the more accurate striker and was able to hurt Brandon Royval in the first fight.
He was also able to get him down and tap him out inside two rounds, so we expect repeat scenes.
- Alexandre Pantoja is on a 4-fight win streak
- 2 of Alexandre Pantoja’s last 3 wins have been by submission
- Alexandre Pantoja beat Brandon Royval by submission in 2021
- Brandon Royval’s last 2 defeats have been by stoppage
Head To Head
- Alexandre Pantoja won by second-round submission when the pair last met in August 2021
Alexandre Pantoja Form
Alexandre Pantoja is the UFC flyweight champion with a professional record of 26-5 (8 KOs, 10 Subs).
Pantoja debuted in the UFC in 2017 and won five of his first six fights to establish himself in the flyweight division.
His rise was slowed between July 2019 and 2020 as he lost twice in a three-fight spell, sandwiching a first-round knockout of Matt Schnell with points losses to Deiveson Figueiredo and Askar Askarov.
The 33-year-old Brazilian has rebounded impressively though, reeling off four consecutive wins to reach the summit.
Pantoja started this run with a decision win against Manel Kape, and he followed up that victory with a second-round submission win over Brandon Royval.
He then submitted Alex Perez in just 91 seconds in his only outing of 2022, and that was enough to earn him a title shot.
‘The Cannibal’ challenged Brandon Moreno in July of this year and walked away with the flyweight belt thanks to a split decision victory.
Brandon Royval Form
Brandon Royval is the #4 ranked flyweight contender with a career record of 15-6 (4 KOs, 9 Subs).
Royval made his UFC debut in May 2020 and, like Pantoja, made an immediate impression in the weight class.
He submitted Tim Elliott in the second round of his debut fight, and then tapped out Kai Kara-France in the second round of his next outing.
The 31-year-old American was unable to make it three-in-a-row in the Octagon though, as he was knocked out in the first round by Brandon Moreno.
Royval then suffered a second-round submission defeat at the hands of Alexandre Pantoja as his momentum stalled.
‘Red Dawg’ rebounded last year though, starting a three-fight win streak with a split decision win against Rogerio Bontorin.
He then followed that up with a first-round submission of Matt Schnell and a first round knockout of Matheus Nicolau.