Brandon Royval Aims to ‘Make It a Dog Fight’ against Matt Schnell at UFC 274
If things go according to Brandon Royval’s plans, fans are in for a treat at UFC 274. Royval (13-6, 3-2 UFC) is looking forward to fighting in front of a live audience for the first time since he joined the Ultimate Fighting Championship
125-pound division in May 2020. In victory and defeat, the former Legacy Fighting Alliance champion has left it all in the Octagon. Most recently, he edged out Rogerio Bontorin by a narrow split decision at UFC on ESPN 32, bouncing back from a two-bout skid. Still, it seems that the audience will play a pivotal factor in Royval’s next assignment against Matt Schnell, which he hopes will lead to a performance bonus.
(00:00) Intro
(00:25) His pre-fight rituals
(01:28) His camp
(01:58) The fighters with whom he trained to imitate Schnell’s fighting style
(02:57) His corner
(03:11) His expectation for the fight
(03:56) Being eager to compete in front of a live audience in the UFC
(04:58) Having a fan-friendly fighting style
(06:17) Commenting on the rejuvenated status of the UFC flyweight division
(07:00) His split-decision victory over Bontorin
(08:20) His thoughts on some of that fight’s controversies
(09:35) Regretting having rushed the clashes with Pantoja and Moreno
(10:58) Working in the juvenile justice system
(14:28) The gang violence issues in Denver
(15:37) Being in touch with some of the people he worked with
(16:53) His prediction for his fight
(17:40) Picking Charles Oliveira vs. Justin Gaethje and Rose Namajunas vs. Carla Esparza
(18:53) Walking out to “Shimmy Shimmy Ya” by Ol’ Dirty Bastard
(19:45) Outro
Tudor Leonte started writing about mixed martial arts in 2013 for Italian media outlets. His journey with Sherdog began in 2018 and he now covers One Championship and countless European shows. You can follow him on Twitter @MrTudorLeonte.