"I was standing on the side where Dana White was" - Brandon Royval recalls feeling overwhelmed before UFC debut against dancing Tim Elliott

In a new YouTube video uploaded by the UFC, highlighting Brandon Royval's promotional debut, Royval discussed his feelings, hesitations, and anxieties before his first UFC fight.

Royval made his promotional debut in 2020 at UFC on ESPN: Woodley vs. Burns against former title challenger Tim Elliott and won by second-round submission. The bout earned Royval a Fight of the Night Award, and he got a $50,000 bonus.

In the aforementioned video, while reflecting on his debut, Royval said:

"I had a week to prepare. The game plan was just to go out there and give him hell the whole entire fight. I remember walking out there, and I was like, I'm gonna give it my all. I’m gonna try and win this fight with everything I have, but I thought so highly of Tim Elliot. Just super awkward style. He was going to push a pace. He's going to bring it. And, were just being 100% honest, I felt like that was my fight to lose, but it was my end to the UFC."

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Royval added that Elliott looked comfortable inside the octagon, and he felt the exact opposite.

"He was like dancing across the ring. He looked so comfortable, and I remember I was standing on the side where Dana White was, and I just did not want to look at him. I was just trying to stay locked in, but I remember he looked so comfortable, and I just did not feel that at all."

After submitting, Elliott, 'Raw Dawg,' claims that he was happy but mad.

"I was happy I won the fight, but I was so mad. I was just capitalizing on mistakes he made instead of doing anything good."

Check out Brandon Royval's comments below (2:09):

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Who will Brandon Royval fight next?

Next week at UFC 317, No. 1 ranked flyweight contender Brandon Royval will take on short-notice opponent Joshua Van. He was originally scheduled to face Manel Kape, but the latter had to withdraw from the flyweight bout because of a foot fracture he suffered while training.

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Edited by Subham