Brandon Royval says he learned the hard way how much social media reach can matter in the UFC’s main event business.
Royval is coming off a wild third-round submission win over Lone’er Kavanagh at UFC 329, a fight that also earned him a $100,000 Fight of the Night bonus. The performance kept him near the top of the flyweight division, but the former title challenger told Ariel Helwani that his road to bigger slots was not always decided by ranking or action alone.
During an interview on The Ariel Helwani Show, Royval said he began thinking more seriously about posting online because engagement had become part of the equation.
“As dumb as it sounds, it’s like having followers is such a big deal,” Royval said. “I remember they didn’t book me as a main event and the reasoning was like, I think it was like Alexa Grasso or whoever they boosted in front of me, they’re like, ‘She has way more followers than you.'”
Royval appeared to be referring to the UFC Vegas 62 lineup from 2022. He was scheduled to face Askar Askarov on that card before Askarov withdrew, while Alexa Grasso vs. Viviane Araujo ultimately became the headliner after Sean Strickland vs. Jared Cannonier fell through.
The Colorado flyweight said the situation still bothered him, even though his bout with Askarov did not end up happening.
“Askarov pulled out of that fight anyway, so it didn’t matter, but I was pissed,” Royval said.
Royval Has Since Become A Main Event Regular
Royval’s comments land differently now because his position has changed. After years of being one of the division’s most reliable action fighters, he has headlined multiple UFC cards and stayed in the title mix through fights with Brandon Moreno, Alexandre Pantoja, Tatsuro Taira, Manel Kape, and Kavanagh.
That was part of the frustration he described. Royval entered the UFC against ranked opposition, quickly became a fixture in the top 15, and still felt he had to prove that he could draw attention outside the cage.
His UFC 329 win helped that case. Royval survived a bloody, chaotic fight with Kavanagh before finding the rear-naked choke in the third round. It was the kind of fight that reminded the promotion why he remains one of the most watchable flyweights on the roster.
Royval has also leaned into the entertainment side more recently, including viral posts around his girlfriend and fight week. He told Helwani that he already had ideas but had often held them back.
“I just need to post more for sure,” Royval said. “I already have like kind of funny thoughts and ideas. I just will never post it. So I was sitting on a handful of those for like months, you know.”
For Royval, the lesson was blunt. Winning and rankings still matter, but he believes attention can decide who gets pushed into the biggest television windows. After UFC 329, he has both the performances and the platform to keep making his case.
