UFC 329 Results - Brandon Royval submits Lone'er Kavanagh in thrilling three-round battle; calls out Asu Almabayev
(Courtesy : UFC)
Royval survives a second-round scare before locking in a third-round rear-naked choke.
Brandon Royval overcame serious adversity to secure one of the biggest wins of his recent career, submitting Lone’er Kavanagh with a rear-naked choke in the third round of a captivating flyweight contest at UFC 329.
The fight delivered everything fans could have hoped for: high-paced striking exchanges, dramatic momentum swings, relentless grappling, and several submission attempts before Royval finally sealed the victory.
After surviving Kavanagh’s biggest offensive surge in Round 2, Royval dominated the final frame to earn the tap and cap off an outstanding performance.
Brandon Royval controls the opening round with sharp boxing and timely wrestling
Royval wasted little time taking the center of the Octagon, forcing Kavanagh backward with constant pressure. While Kavanagh found success with calf kicks, Royval repeatedly answered with a crisp jab that established his range early.
The veteran mixed in inside low kicks and clean left hands, consistently beating Kavanagh to the punch. Whenever Kavanagh attempted to answer with body kicks, Royval countered effectively, even catching several kicks before firing combinations in close.
Royval continued feeding Kavanagh his jab throughout the round before changing levels for a perfectly timed takedown. Although Kavanagh threatened with a guillotine, the position never developed into real danger as Royval smoothly transitioned into full guard.
From top position, Royval landed elbows and body shots before Kavanagh exploded back to his feet. Kavanagh managed a late trip and landed a punch or two before finishing the round with another leg kick, but Royval had clearly dictated most of the action.
Lone’er Kavanagh nearly turns the fight before Royval battles back
The second round quickly became the fight’s turning point. Royval continued working behind his jab and mixed in a grazing head kick, but Kavanagh suddenly changed the momentum with a perfectly timed counter right hand that visibly stunned Royval.
Sensing the finish, Kavanagh charged forward with heavy ground-and-pound as Royval attempted to slow the attack by threatening submissions from his back. Royval even threw up a spectacular gogoplata attempt that came remarkably close before Kavanagh escaped the danger.
Back on the feet, Kavanagh continued landing hard right hands, elbows, and calf kicks while stuffing several takedown attempts.
Royval refused to fade, eventually completing another takedown late in the round and unloading elbows from side control before both fighters returned to their feet. A sharp left hook from Kavanagh on the break closed a frantic second round that had the crowd on its feet.
Brandon Royval secures the finish with dominant grappling
Royval opened the final round aggressively, backing Kavanagh up with fast combinations before immediately looking for another takedown.
Although Kavanagh briefly threatened with a guillotine, Royval escaped into half guard and began landing punishing elbows. From there, the momentum completely shifted.
Royval advanced to mount, attacked both the body and head, and repeatedly forced Kavanagh to surrender his back during the scrambles. After locking in a body triangle, Royval patiently worked for the finish.
He initially threatened a face crank before sliding his arm under Kavanagh’s chin. Once the rear-naked choke was fully secured, there was no escape, forcing Kavanagh to tap in the third round.
The victory capped an outstanding comeback performance for Royval, who overcame his toughest moment in Round 2 before finishing the fight in dominant fashion.
Result: Brandon Royval def. Lone’er Kavanagh via submission (rear-naked choke) in RD 3 (3:40).
During his post-fight interview with Joe Rogan, Royval wasted little time looking ahead, calling out Asu Almabayev as his preferred next opponent.
With another statement win on his résumé, Royval made it clear that he wants to remain in the UFC flyweight title picture and believes a showdown with Almabayev is the right next step.
Who won the opening fight between King Green and Terrance McKinney at UFC 329?
King Green defeated Terrance McKinney via first-round technical knockout (TKO). The stoppage came at 4:59 of Round 1
When is the UFC 329 main event between Conor McGregor and Max Holloway expected to start?
The main event between Conor McGregor and Max Holloway is expected to begin at approximately 12:00 AM ET in the United States on Sunday, July 12, which translates to around 5:00 AM BST in the UK and 9:30 AM IST in India, though timing will depend on how the earlier main-card bouts play out.
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