Brandon Royval has committed to posting more on social media because of how important it is.
Royval recently defeated Lone’er Kavanagh to get back in the win column and prove that he’s still one of the best flyweights in the world.
The hard-fought win saw ‘Raw Dawg’ earn his sixth Fight of the Night bonus, which is more than any other fighter in his weight class.
While Royval’s incredible wars with the likes of Joshua Van have made him a fan favorite, he’s had to prove to the UFC that he can generate attention.
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Brandon Royval recalls being told he wasn’t getting a main event because Alexa Grasso had more followers
Brandon Royval earned double pay in defeat last year as just another example of him being one of the most consistently entertaining fighters on the roster.
When reflecting on his recent win, the former flyweight title challenger was asked about his increased usage of social media.
He explained that he knows creating content and building a fan base is an important part of being a fighter, though this wasn’t always something he put much attention into.
Royval referenced how his social media following even cost him his first main event spot back in 2022 after he put together consecutive wins.
“Having followers is such a big deal,” he said on The Ariel Helwani Show. “I remember they didn’t book me as a main event and their reasoning was, I think it was like Alexa Grasso, whoever they boosted in front of me, they were like, ‘She has way more followers than you.’”
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Photo by Mike Roach/Zuffa LLC
Royval was referring to an event at the Apex that was headlined by Grasso facing off with Viviane Araujo.
His scheduled opponent for that card, Askar Askarov, ended up withdrawing on the day before the event due to issues with his weight cut.
Royval said that he was “p—–” at being passed over at the time despite it not mattering in the end due to his matchup being cancelled.
Royval, who currently has 149,000 followers on Instagram, has since headlined three Fight Night events.
2026-07-22 06:00:00
