Royval survives knockdown to submit Kavanagh in UFC 329 Fight of the Night

Brandon Royval survived a second-round knockdown to submit Lone’er Kavanagh via rear-naked choke in the third round at UFC 329 in Las Vegas on 12 July 2026, earning Fight of the Night honours and snapping a two-fight losing streak.

The flyweight contest was a chaotic, back-and-forth affair from the opening bell. Royval came out aggressively, pressing Kavanagh with high volume early, but the British fighter answered with a perfectly timed right hand in round two that sent Royval to the canvas. Royval weathered the follow-up assault and clawed his way back into the fight before forcing the tap with a rear-naked choke late in the final frame.

Both fighters were awarded $100,000 Fight of the Night bonuses for the 125-pound thriller.

Royval was candid about the difficulty of his preparation and the closeness of the contest in his post-fight interview, while also praising his opponent.

“I feel good, man. I love how Lone’er Kavanagh fights,” Royval said. “Maybe one of my favorite partners to get prepared for. It’s been a horrible camp. You know, I was getting kicked so much and beat up so much… I am happy I escaped with a W and I had fun in there.”

Reflecting on the result after back-to-back losses heading into the night, Royval offered a characteristically blunt self-assessment: “I’m the king of chaos.”

The win puts Royval back in the conversation in the UFC flyweight division, though no specific next opponent or title implications were confirmed at the time of the post-fight interview.