Backing down simply isn’t in Brandon Royval’s nature.
That was the clear message from the former title challenger after his unanimous decision defeat to Joshua Van at UFC 317, where the two flyweights delivered what could be the Fight of the Year. Their thrilling back-and-forth battle ended with Van scoring a knockdown, while Royval hung on to hear the final horn in Round 3, News.Az reports citing the MMA Fightings.
Originally scheduled to face Manel Kape on the card, Royval took a big risk accepting the fight against a much lower ranked opponent like Van but he acknowledged that’s just how he’s built.
“A tale of ‘the scorpion and the frog,’” Royval wrote on Instagram. “Some individuals are driven by uncontrollable instincts, even when those instincts lead to self-destructive or harmful actions.
