Moreno vs Royval preview & betting predictions | UFC Mexico

The wealth of MMA content continues this weekend with UFC Fight Night: Moreno vs Royval at the Arena CDMX in Mexico City. With a new champ holding the flyweight belt, would-be contenders Brandon Moreno and Brandon Royval will vie for another tilt at the silverware in a rematch of their 2020 contest. UFC betting sites have installed Moreno as the early favourite, but is there an upset on the cards?

Brandon Moreno v Brandon Royval fight analysis

Brandon Moreno vs Brandon Royval

Brandon Moreno (21-7-2) has been atop the flyweight division either as the champion or leading contender since 2020. The Mexican has won the belt thrice, lost it twice, and fought out a draw as part of a legendary rivalry with Deiveson Figueiredo. He most recently lost a split decision for the belt against Alexandre Passidomo after dominating the early rounds and fading late.

Moreno has one of the most complete skillsets of any active mixed martial artist, combining gritty toughness with excellent striking and a fearsome ground game. He scored a knockout win over this opponent back in November 2020 and will carry no fear into the delayed rematch. Remarkably, Moreno has only ever lost via the scorecard in a 13-year professional career.

Brandon Royval (15-7-0) rose to contender status with three consecutive wins prior to his recent loss to the aforementioned Passidomo. The 31-year-old lacks some of the technical prowess and discipline of his flyweight contemporaries but throws unorthodox combinations with effective finishing power. His strength is footwork and unpredictability, but the American’s weakness is a lack of consistent output across a fight’s duration, and he suffers a poor 2-5 record with the judges.

Royval is also more of a fast-twitch athlete who often struggles to match the tempo of fighters like current champ Passidomo. It is hard to pinpoint any advantages that he enjoys over Moreno. Royval’s most likely route to victory is an early flash knockdown that leads to either a finishing punch or a submission opportunity. The risk for the underdog is that he is just outworked again and only displays brief flashes of brilliance that do not earn sufficient favour from the judging panel.

Moreno v Royval betting predictions

Online bookmakers are leaning heavily toward Moreno in this rematch. There is little value in backing him straight-up, and the obvious outcome is the favourite prevailing via decision. Both fighters boast black belts in BJJ and may opt to keep the action upright for long periods, while knockouts are rare at the lighter weights.

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