Brandon Royval has dismissed concerns about his knee injury and announced via social media that he is ready to challenge flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 301 in Rio de Janeiro.
Brazil’s calling Brandon Royval. He’s got his sights set on a trip to the South American country.
He took to Twitter on Friday. The message? His knee’s good to go post his victory over Brandon Moreno. He’s gearing up to take on Alexandre Pantoja, the flyweight champ, at UFC 301 in Rio.
Here’s what he tweeted:
“Knees cleared, beat the #1 ranked fighter on short notice in his own country. I’m not getting held down ever again. UFC 301 is a go for me.”
That’s a bold statement, right?
Pantoja’s likely to headline the Rio event. Fellow Brazilians Alex Pereira and Charles Oliveira are already on the UFC 300 card. That’s happening before the May 4 pay-per-view. Pantoja’s got two wins over Royval and three over Moreno, including one from The Ultimate Fighter 24.
Royval lost to Pantoja last December. But he’s still in a good spot for a third go at his rival. He won a split decision over Moreno, a two-time flyweight champ, at UFC Mexico City. There were concerns about an MCL injury, but that’s in the past now. He’s ready to headline UFC 301.
Keep an eye on the flyweight bout between Muhammad Mokaev and Alex Perez at UFC Vegas 87. Mokaev’s expecting a standout performance to put him at the front of the contender line. He’s also open to a quick turnaround to fight Pantoja.
So, there’s that.