Name: Brandon Royval
Opponent: Alexandre Pantoja
Odds: +140 (bet $100 to win $140) **Odds by FanDuel
For his fourth consecutive UFC fight, Brandon Royval steps in here as the underdog. He was also an underdog for nearly every LFA fight he was in (that we have historical odds for). Yet here we are, with his only loss in the UFC to the current champion on a freak injury. So why is he the underdog again?
The reason is that Royval fights with a little bit of reckless abandon. He wants every fight to get a little crazy and a little wild. This means that he has some moments in every fight where he gets hit and as a result looks like an inferior fighter. This seems to constantly get people to install him as the underdog right out of the gate. However, I think it’s a tad unwarranted here.
Pantoja enjoys a fight on the feet – he seems to prefer it as of late. However, he’s also the type of person who, when tagged, will shoot for a desperation takedown. If you look at the laundry list of submissions that Royval has, nearly all of them come from a desperation shot after he tags someone. I think it’s possible that he gets it done on the feet here, but I also think if he is having success, we could see him get a sub in that classic Brandon Royval way.
2021 Record: 8-15 (4 withdrawals)
Earnings (based on $100 bet/event): -($320)
Return on Investment: -12%
2018-20 Record: 45-72 (+1.1%)
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