Brandon Royval turned a dangerous flyweight fight into a submission win at UFC 329, stopping Lone’er Kavanagh late in the third round at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Royval defeated Kavanagh by rear-naked choke at the 3:40 mark of Round 3. The result snapped Royval’s two-fight skid and pushed him back into the title-picture conversation after Kavanagh forced him through a bloody, uncomfortable middle stretch.
Royval Finds The Back After A Wild First Two Rounds
Round 1 gave Royval the cleaner start. He worked behind straight shots and leg kicks, punished Kavanagh when he caught kicks, and later brought the fight to the floor while Kavanagh had to defend from underneath.
Round 2 changed the feel of the fight. Kavanagh opened with sharper combinations, landed a right hand that dropped Royval, and followed with heavy punches and elbows. Royval survived by tying up from bottom and using grappling threats to slow the damage before the round ended.
Round 3 opened with both flyweights still trading at a high pace, and both men had moments before Royval committed to the takedown. Kavanagh attacked a guillotine during the scramble, but Royval cleared the danger, advanced through top control, reached the back, and locked in the rear-naked choke. The official result was Royval by submission at 3:40 of Round 3.
‘RAW DOG’ STAYS IN THE TOP 5 😤@BrandonRoyval leaves #UFC329 with the submission victory in RD3!
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— UFC (@ufc) July 12, 2026
WHAT A FIGHT 😳@BrandonRoyval locks up the submission late in RD3 after a crazy first two rounds!
[ #UFC329 is LIVE NOW on @ParamountPlus ] pic.twitter.com/XiATLPiP4Q
— UFC (@ufc) July 12, 2026
LONE’ER KAVANAGH DROPS ROYVAL IN ROUND 2!! 👊
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— UFC on Paramount+ (@UFConParamount) July 12, 2026
Brandon Royval wants Asu Almabayev next 👀
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— UFC on Paramount+ (@UFConParamount) July 12, 2026
Royval Keeps His Place Near The Top
Royval’s volume and grappling told the story once the fight got messy. He stayed dangerous after the striking exchanges, kept forcing scrambles, and turned the final grappling sequence into a fight-ending position instead of letting the scorecards decide it.
Kavanagh still had major moments. His second-round knockdown and follow-up attack made the fight feel close to turning, and he entered UFC 329 with momentum from his upset win over Brandon Moreno. Royval’s experience against elite flyweights showed up once the pace became chaotic.
UFC 329 has already produced several separate MiddleEasy result posts, including King Green’s comeback against Terrance McKinney, Robert Whittaker’s finish of Nikita Krylov, and Gable Steveson’s debut knockout.
