Brandon
Royval showed he still warrants consideration as one of the
Ultimate Fighting Championship’s flyweight elite.
The resilient Factory X standout called upon superior standup,
bulletproof submission defense and a seemingly endless gas tank to
outlast Tatsuro
Taira to a five-round split decision in the
UFC Fight Night 244 headliner on Saturday at the UFC Apex in
Las Vegas. All three member of the judiciary struck 48-47
scorecards: Sal D’Amato for Taira, Chris Lee and Ron McCarthy for
Royval.
Advertisement
Taira (16-1, 6-1 UFC) was stellar in the grappling exchanges
through four rounds, as he advanced to the back on multiple
occasions, secured his position with body triangles, applied his
ground-and-pound and threatened the neck. Royval (17-7, 7-3 UFC)
answered on the feet, where he connected with surgical combinations
and the occasional knee. He had Taira on the proverbial ropes early
in the third round, as he sent two-, three- and four-punch volleys
crashing into his head. The Shooto champion capitalized on an
ill-advised armbar attempt late in the period, transitioned to the
back and made a pass at a rear-naked choke. The outcome will still
very much in doubt when they entered Round 5. There, Royval carved
up his counterpart with punches and used a guillotine choke to roll
into mount and eventually scramble to the back. Repeated choke and
crank attempts followed until the horn sounded.
Royval will head into his next assignment having won five of his
last six fights.
Meanwhile, Korean Top Team’s Jun Yong
Park wore down and ultimately broke “The Ultimate Fighter”
Season 11 semifinalist Brad
Tavares with merciless pressure and high output, as he was
awarded a split verdict in their three-round middleweight co-main
event. All three cageside judges scored it 29-28: Junichiro Kamijo
for Tavares, Michael Bell and Eric Colon for Park.
Tavares (20-10, 15-10 UFC) decked the South Korean with a sharp
one-two in the first round and swarmed for a potential finish. It
never materialized. Park (18-6, 8-3 UFC) recovered, pressed forward
behind punching volleys and delivered a series of kicks to
Hawaiian’s lower lead leg. Tavares conceded a takedown midway
through the third round and spent three-plus minutes pinned to the
canvas, as he ate punches, watched valuable time tick off the clock
and left his fate to the scorecards.
Park, 33, has rattled off five victories in six appearances.
Further down the main draw, onetime Tachi Palace Fights titleholder
Chidi
Njokuani brutalized Jared
Gooden in the clinch ahead of a lopsided unanimous decision in
their three-round welterweight attraction. Njokuani (24-10, 4-3
UFC) swept the scorecards with 30-27 marks from all three members
of the cageside judiciary.
Gooden (23-10, 2-5 UFC), who missed weight for the match by 1.5
pounds, mustered little in terms of meaningful offense. Njokuani
dissected him in close quarters, hammering away with knees to the
midsection and short elbows the head. Gooden at times seemed
content to take a 15-minute beating. Njokuani powered into full
mount after a failed takedown attempt from the X3 Sports rep in the
third round, freed himself from a kimura and put forth a sustained
burst of punches and elbows that tied a bow on his performance.
The 35-year-old Njokuani has posted back-to-back wins for the first
time since 2022.
Elsewhere, American Top Team’s Grant
Dawson put away former Combate Global champion Rafa Garcia
with ferocious ground-and-pound in the second round of their
lightweight attraction.
The surging Dawson (22-2-1, 10-1-1 UFC) drew the curtain 1:42 into
Round 2.
Garcia (16-4, 4-4 UFC) could not stay on his feet and paid a steep
price as a result. Dawson executed a takedown in the first round
and let fly with hammerfists, elbow strikes and punches. It was a
harbinger of what was to come. He took down Garcia inside the first
minute of second period and hacked open a nasty cut on his forehead
with a perfectly placed elbow. Blood spurted from the wound, and
gave Dawson the go-ahead to increase intensity of his strikes.
Repeated elbows gave way to unanswered punches, prompting the
stoppage.
The 30-year-old Dawson has won five of his past six bouts.
Finally, Dana White’s Contender Series alum Daniel
Rodriguez got his hand raised for the first time in more than
two years, as he eked out a split decision over Alex Morono
in a three-round welterweight appetizer. All three cageside judges
scored it 29-28: D’Amato for Morono, Bell and Adalaide Byrd for
Rodriguez.
Morono (24-11, 13-8 UFC) led the dance through much of the first
five minutes. The Fortis MMA rep countered effectively, mixed in a
few kicks and connected with a number of looping overhand rights.
Rodriguez (18-5, 8-4 UFC) picked up his pace in the middle stanza
and probed for openings at all levels, targeting the body, head and
legs. Suddenly, momentum was his. “D-Rod” staggered Morono with a
clean one-two in the third round, chipped away with body-head
combinations, excelled in the clinch and secured a late takedown to
punctuate his performance.
The victory closed the book on Rodriguez’s three-fight losing
streak.