Brandon Royval replaces Alex Perez, meets Brandon Moreno at UFC 255

Brandon Moreno didn’t go long without an opponent at UFC 255 as he is now set to fight Brandon Royval at the November event.

After an injury to Cody Garbrandt opened up a flyweight title opportunity for Alex Perez, Moreno (17-5-1 MMA, 5-2-1 UFC) was left without a matchup. The promotion took quick action, though, booking Royval (12-4 MMA, 2-0 UFC) to step in for a matchup with high entertainment potential.

On Friday, Royval confirmed an earlier report from BJPenn.com that he’s stepping in.

UFC 255 takes place Nov. 21 at UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims expected to air on ESPN and stream on ESPN+.

Royval has delivered big time in his first two UFC appearances. He’s picked submission wins over Tim Elliott and Kai Kara-France, both of which have earned him an extra $50,000 fight-night bonus. He’ll try to keep that run alive in his third octagon appearance.

Moreno is the type of fighter who could make for a “Fight of the Night,” as the Mexican fighter is always entertaining. “The Assassin Baby’ is unbeaten in three fights since returning to UFC for a second stint in September 2019.

The latest UFC 255 lineup now includes:

• Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Alex Perez – for flyweight title
• Valentina Shevchenko vs. Jennifer Maia – for women’s flyweight title
• Brandon Moreno vs. Brandon Royval
• Ariane Lipski vs. Antonina Shevchenko
• Paul Craig vs. Mauricio Rua
• John Allan vs. Roman Dolidze
• Jared Gooden vs. Alan Jouban
• Robbie Lawler vs. Mike Perry
• Kyle Daukaus vs. Dustin Stoltzfus