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UFC on ESPN 9 video: Underdog Brandon Royval submits Tim Elliott, trashes performance

May 30, 2020
UFC Fight Night: Elliott v Royval Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

Former FLA flyweight champ Brandon Royval beat a top-15 fighter in his first UFC fight on Saturday. But he fought back tears as he assessed his performance afterward.

Royval turned the tables on one-time title challenger Tim Elliott, overcoming a tough first round to earn an arm-triangle submission at the 3:18 mark of the second round during the UFC on ESPN 9 prelims. Elliott had just moments earlier threatened with a guillotine choke, only to get reversed and quickly checkmated.

Check out a video of the tapout, courtesy of the UFC.

Yet there was no joy for the newly minted octagon competitor, who immediately trashed his performance to the point where UFC commentator and ex-champ Daniel Cormier tried to bring him back to earth.

“Brandon, I’ve got to be honest, man – you’re beating really hard on yourself,” Cormier said. “You just won your UFC debut over one of the top 15 guys in the division. On Monday, you’re going to have a ranking right next to your name. You cannot be that disappointed!”

“Man, I’m trying to make money out here, bro,” Royval replied. “I’m not trying to go to work tomorrow. I’ve got to go to work tomorrow, and that’s because I didn’t put on a good performance today.”

UFC executives and matchmakers likely believe otherwise, so it’s without question that Royval will be back to work soon in the octagon. Perhaps by then, he’ll be able to appreciate his first UFC outing, which extended his current winning streak to three after a decision setback to fellow UFC on ESPN 9 prelim fighter Casey Kenney.

Elliott, who gave former flyweight champ Demetrious Johnson a run for his money early on in a 2016 title shot, has now dropped three straight fights.



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