Alexandre Pantoja and Brandon Royval meet again. Their first duel saw Pantoya put Royval to sleep with a real-naked choke. Now, two and a half years later, Royval is looking for revenge. And he can get it in the best way possible – by taking away the UFC Flyweight Championship belt from Pantoya.
Can he pull it off? Judging by the Pantoja vs. Royval odds, the answer is no. But before you place any bets, make sure to read our UFC 296 co-main event preview to see whether you should actually back the defending champ.
When, Where, and How to Watch?
- Place: T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada
- Date: Saturday, December 16, 2023
- Time: 9:00 p.m. ET
- How to Watch: PPV
Alexandre Pantoja vs. Brandon Royval Odds
| Moneyline | Odds |
|---|---|
| Alexandre Pantoja | -170 |
| Brandon Royval | +146 |
Alexandre Pantoja Favored by Bookies to Defend His Title
Alexandre Pantoja is 26-5 overall, with each of his five losses happening by decision. The most recent of those happened in 2020 and he’s 4-0 since.
During his recent surge, he won two Performance of the Nigh bonuses, with his most recent fight getting crowned the Fight of the Night. More importantly, the fight in question brought Pantoja the UFC Flyweight Championship belt.
He defeated Brandon Moreno by split decision in a fight that saw each fighter land a huge volume of strikes. Pantoja landed 129 significant strikes – his highest number since joining the UFC in 2017. He also made six touchdowns in that fight, breaking another personal record.
Wrestling and grappling are his forte, as evident by the fact that he’s got 10 wins by submission in his portfolio. One of those happened against Royval two and a half years ago.
Brandon Royval Plotting Revenge
Brandon Royval is 15-6 overall, with two losses inside the distance. The first of those was a TKO loss which happened against Brandon Moreno, who later went on to win the championship.
The second defeat was a submission loss to Alexandre Pantoja. This guy is a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, so beating him by a submission really is a big achievement.
Since that loss, Royval went on to win three fights, winning the Performance of the Night bonus for his most recent fight, which saw him beat Matheus Nicolau with knee and elbows. The KO win is actually what recommended him for the UFC 296 title fight to Dana White & Co.
Alexandre Pantoja vs. Brandon Royval Prediction
Alexandre Pantoja is a -170 favorite for a reason. He’s a better fighter than Royval, which is something he’s already proved in 2021. He beat him once and we’re certain he’s going to do it again.
This time, however, he might not do it by stoppage. Instead, we think this fight is very likely to go the distance with the reigning champ winning the judges’ votes in the end.
Pick: Alexandre Pantoja