Brandon Royval out-works Brandon Moreno for razor-close decision win

Looking to force their way into a title shot, two fan-favorite flyweights threw down in the main event of UFC Mexico. The beloved Brandon Moreno would come face-to-face with the flashy Brandon Royval.

The flyweights met over three years prior, where Royval would unfortunately suffer an injury bringing an end to the fight in the opening round. Now, with potential title opportunities on the line, they meet again in Mexico City.

As expected, Royval entered the cage to a barrage of jeers from those in attendance. It was the complete opposite for Brandon Moreno, who enjoyed the love being shown by his fellow Mexican people.

Looking for redemption 👀@BrandonRoyval | #UFCMexico pic.twitter.com/3LL630zcCH

— UFC (@ufc) February 25, 2024

Closing the show for Mexico 🇲🇽 #UFCMexico pic.twitter.com/RqC89qQn1R

— UFC (@ufc) February 25, 2024

Round 1

Although it took place entirely on the feet, both Moreno and Royval were tentative to engage. ‘Raw Dawg’ hurt his foot throwing a kick.

Neither flyweight took initiative and no huge blows were landed in the first round. A tough round to score, though the consensus believed Moreno edged ahead.

Round 2

‘The Assassin Baby’ started the round with a huge right hand, stumbling his opponent. Despite constantly being on the back foot, Moreno was the more accurate striker midway through the second round.

Brandon Royval was able to land some well-timed knees and kicks in the striking exchanges before some grappling ensued. Royval threatened multiple submissions off his back and almost locked in an omoplata as the round came to a close.

👀 #UFCMexico pic.twitter.com/WcUHiSzX3G

— Bakanky (@BakankyBro) February 25, 2024

Round 3

Similar to the previous two, both Moreno and Royval didn’t do anything to stamp their authority on the fight. 

Although there was no clear winner of the round once again, Brandon Royval seemed to have warmed into the fight and was arguably doing some of his best work in this round.

Heading to the championship rounds 👀

Who’s winning on your scorecards? #UFCMexico pic.twitter.com/cJ1g2sAQCn

— UFC (@ufc) February 25, 2024

Related: UFC Mexico: Moreno vs. Royval 2 Live Results

Round 4

Once again, it was tough to separate the 125ers, and nothing truly significant was landed by any man. 

The stalemate round could have been stolen at the halfway point when Royval forced Moreno to shell up before landing a takedown against the cage.

Round 5

The belief among the viewers was that whoever would secure the fifth round would in turn get their hands raised at the end of the bout.

Herb Dean was forced to step in to separate the two due to no action as the two grappled on the cage wall. Once the fight resumed, the two got to work and both men landed some big shots in attempts to steal the round.

As the fight was coming to an end, both Moreno and Royval traded shots in the center of the octagon. Yet again, the scorecards could go either way for such a razor-close brawl.

What a SCRAP! 👏

📝 Five rounds in the books – how did you score our #UFCMexico main event? 🇲🇽 pic.twitter.com/eNMJhOYNkA

— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) February 25, 2024