Brandon Royval was hoping for Brandon Moreno to have his hand raised in victory when he faced Amir Albazi at UFC Fight Night 246 this past Saturday in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. And that’s exactly what happened. The former champion returned to peak form, delivering a dominant performance against Albazi.
Royval himself has two recent wins over Moreno, followed by an impressive victory against Tatsuro Taira in a “Fight of the Night” showing. In his view, these achievements position him as the new #1 contender for a title shot.
“I think the only thing that was cleared up completely was that I’m next for the title shot,” Royval told MMA Junkie. “That’s what this fight did: It cleared the way for me. I thought he [Moreno] looked amazing. I had such a good time watching him. The moment he walked out, I was like, ‘All right, cool, this is what I want to see: a fired-up Brandon Moreno, ready to go.’”
Royval continued, “He fought with attitude and a chip on his shoulder, and I loved that. I really believe the flyweight division has been more exciting than ever. People often criticize us, saying the top three or four guys are just clearing out everyone else, but I think the division is at its peak.”
Royval will now have to wait for the outcome of flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja’s title defense against former RIZIN champion Kai Asakura on Dec. 7 at UFC 310. Regardless, he expects to face the winner.
