​Brandon Royval didn’t have an easy path to victory, but he ultimately locked in a fight-ending rear-naked choke to force Lone’er Kavanagh to tap out at UFC 329. From the opening bell, it was an intense, hard-fought battle that swung back and forth, with Kavanagh nearly sealing the deal in the second round through a brutal knockdown. Royval weathered the storm, survived the scare, and then produced a late surge in the third that flipped the script in his favor.
The finish came at 3:40 of the third round after Royval had spent the majority of the frame hunting for a submission on the ground. He finally found an opening and slipped in the rear-naked choke. Kavanagh had nothing left to defend against, and with no escape available, he was compelled to tap out, handing Royval the win in dramatic fashion.
After the victory, Royval lightened the mood with a joke: “I smoke rocks, Joe Rogan.” He emphasized the magnitude of the moment, suggesting both fighters deserved a performance bonus and praising Kavanagh as a future champion in the making. “That’s a future champion right there. I’m a master of chaos. I wish I fought prettier, but that’s not how I do it.” He teased a potential future matchup, hinting that the choke had opened up a path to an extra incentive from the UFC.
From the opening minutes, Royval pressed forward, pushing Kavanagh back and looking for his best shots. Kavanagh, content to lure Royval into a counter-punching exchange, answered with measured strikes and calculated combinations, waiting for the right moment to strike.
Midway through the first round, Royval found a momentary edge when he intercepted a kick from Kavanagh and followed up with a series of stiff punches. That sequence enabled Royval to close the distance, drive Kavanagh to the canvas, and begin landing elbows that chipped away at his opponent’s defenses. The pace and pressure were relentless, signaling Royval’s intent to dictate the pace and create opportunities on the ground.
In the second round, Royval started strong again, snapping off a couple of clean lead jabs and relentlessly pushing Kavanagh backward. Then Kavanagh delivered a perfectly timed counter right hand that dropped Royval, shifting momentum in the arena. Kavanagh capitalized on the moment, unleashing a relentless attack on the ground with heavy punches and devastating elbows as Royval fought to survive. Royval briefly returned to his feet, answered with more aggression, and even attempted another takedown, which Kavanagh managed to thwart. The back-and-forth continued as both men exchanged, with Royval continuing to hunt for openings while Kavanagh remained dangerous on the counter.
The fight remained competitive into the final rounds, with Royval scoring a range of striking exchanges that kept Kavanagh honest and backing up. Royval landed another solid shot that staggered Kavanagh with under five minutes remaining, and he pressed forward in search of a finish. The two continued to trade on the feet, but Royval again took the fight to the ground, where he unleashed a flurry of punches and elbows before transitioning to an arm-triangle choke attempt. Kavanagh scrambled to defend, Royval briefly released the hold, then slid into the back again, where he secured the rear-naked choke that ended the contest.
In the aftermath, Royval credited his resilience and late surge, noting that the finish came from persistence, pressure, and the willingness to fight through adversity. He acknowledged Kavanagh’s tough performance and praised his opponent for pushing him to the limit, while signaling that the victory could be a stepping stone toward even bigger opportunities on the path to championship contention. The win showcased Royval’s ability to stay composed under pressure, capitalize on openings, and seal the deal when the moment mattered most.