After impressive win at UFC Vegas 98, is a title shot next for Brandon Royval?

This past Saturday night in the main event of UFC Vegas 98, we saw a very fun matchup in the flyweight division. Former title challenger Brandon “Raw Dawg” Royval (17-7) was looking to hand top Japanese flyweight Tatsuro Taira (16-1) his first professional loss in the main event.

Heading into this matchup, I was blown away by the betting odds. While Taira had been undefeated and he looked like a dominant contender, he had never faced competition like Brandon Royval. Royval has proven he’s one of the very best in the world and he was coming off a big time win over former two-time flyweight champion Brandon Moreno.

Yet, Taira was the sizable betting favorite at UFC Vegas 98. In spots in this fight, you could see why. There were a couple of rounds where Taira really dominated with his grappling. However, when he couldn’t get Royval down, he was a sitting duck. Royval boxed beautifully and nearly finished Taira in the third round.

Entering the final round, it was 2-2 on most scorecards. The final round saw Royval pull it out and he landed big shots and got his own takedown to secure the split decision win over the previously unbeaten Taira.

What’s next after UFC Vegas 98?

Brandon Royval made it clear what he wants after his win on Saturday night and it’s what he deserves. Royval wants another shot at the UFC flyweight title. Royval got a shot against Alexandre Pantoja and lost a decision back in December. It wasn’t a great fight and Royval lost a pretty lopsided decision.

That said, he’s bounced back incredibly strong stepping up for the promotion on short-notice and beating Brandon Moreno in Mexico and then taking on top young prospect Tatsuro Taira and beating him this past weekend. He’s done enough to earn another crack at the title.

UFC 310’s co-main event features a flyweight title fight between Alexandre Pantoja and the debuting Kai Asakura. Now, if Asakura wins, it’s a clear setup for Royval. However, if Pantoja wins, a lot of people will point to the fact that they’ve fought twice with Pantoja winning both fights.

However, this is one of those cases where a third fight feels warranted. Royval has done what he had to do to earn another shot.