Top 5: Brandon Royval Submissions

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Brandon Royval never broke stride in his final pre-Ultimate Fighting Championship assignment.

The surging Factory X standout captured the vacant Legacy Fighting Alliance flyweight title in spectacular fashion when he dismissed Nate Williams with an armbar in the first round of their LFA 79 headliner on Nov. 22, 2019 at 1stBank Center in Broomfield, Colorado. A short-notice replacement for Jared Scoggins, the 5-foot-1 Williams conceded defeat a mere 23 seconds into Round 1.

A blinding burst of offense was over in less than half a minute. Royval launched a flying knee and a head kick inside the first 10 seconds, caught his counterpart in a triangle during a subsequent exchange and then moved on an omoplata. From there, he made a smooth transition to the armbar and forced the tapout. More than five years later, it remains the fastest finish of Royval’s career.

As Royval marches toward his showdown with Manel Kape in the UFC on ESPN 73 main event this Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, his sub-minute stoppage of Williams still ranks as one of his most memorable submissions. Four more to consider:

Brandon Royval vs. Joby Sanchez

Legacy Fighting Alliance 65
May 3, 2019 | Vail, Colorado
Royval strengthened an already impressive regional resume when he dispatched the Jackson-Wink MMA rep with an armbar in the first round of their headliner at Dobson Arena. Sanchez raised the white flag of surrender 3:17 into Round 1. Royval engaged his counterpart on the feet, then swooped in for an attempted takedown. Sanchez stonewalled him, zeroed in on the Colorado native’s neck and framed a brabo choke. However, Royval freed himself, set off a scramble and ensnared the two-time Dana White’s Contender Series alum in the fight-ending armbar.

Brandon Royval vs. Tim Elliott

UFC on ESPN 9
May 30, 2020 | Las Vegas
Royval made his intentions known in his Octagon debut, as he put away “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 24 winner with an arm-triangle choke in the second round of their flyweight prelim at the UFC Apex. Elliott clocked out 3:18 into Round 2. Though he netted the desired result, Royval had to wade through considerable adversity before he arrived at the finish line. Elliott pushed a frenetic pace in the first round, where he completed three of his four takedowns, racked up more than three minutes of control time and outstruck the promotional newcomer by a 30-13 margin. Royval was up to the task, and once fatigue took a bite out of his opponent, the Marc Montoya protégé made his move. He assumed a dominant position in the middle stanza, climbed to full mount and latched onto the choke when Elliott tried to scramble out of danger. Referee Mark Smith accepted the tapout soon after. The win brought with it the first of Royval’s six post-fight performance bonuses.

Brandon Royval vs. Kai-Kara France

UFC 253
Sept. 26, 2020 | Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Royval took care of the City Kickboxing mainstay with a guillotine choke in the second round of their flyweight attraction at the Flash Forum. Finished for the first time in nearly six years, Kara-France capitulated 48 seconds into Round 2. A chaotic first five minutes saw Royval lurch in front despite being knocked down. He answered with a spinning back elbow that sat down Kara-France, then threatened briefly with a gogoplata. Later in the opening stanza, Royval dazed the Auckland, New Zealand, native with a close-range knee strike. Both men needed the one-minute respite between rounds. Kara-France shot for an ill-advised takedown inside the first minute of Round 2 and wandered into the guillotine. The Eugene Bareman disciple worked to extricate himself but soon became aware that his situation was hopeless.

Brandon Royval vs. Matt Schnell

UFC 274
May 7, 2022 | Phoenix
Royval moved another step closer to title contention in the 125-pound weight class when he cast aside the Fortis MMA export with a guillotine choke in the first round of their flyweight prelim at the Footprint Center. Schnell packed his bags 2:14 into Round 1, losing via submission for the first time in almost eight years. Royval matched the former Legacy Fighting Championship titleholder’s aggression, attacked with kicks to all levels, leaned on a steady jab and managed to sneak in hooks from both hands. Schnell dropped him with an overhand right and pounced with follow-up punches but had issues negotiating his opponent’s venomous guard. Royval rolled into top position, fought through an attempted guillotine and initiated a scramble before turning the tables and locking in a guillotine of his own. He then cut off all avenues of escape and prompted the quick tapout.