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Alexandre Pantoja will be defending his title for the very first time tonight, and the man standing in front of him is a familiar foe. Brandon Royval didn’t fare so well against Pantoja the first time out, but a lot has happened since that fateful day in 2021. Brandon has added three, shiny victories to his resume, stopping two and decisioning one. His destruction of Matheus Nicolau being the most notable.
Pantoja has been active twice since they last met. He scored a gnarly neck crank over Alex Perez and got the split-decision victory over Brandon Moreno to secure the strap. Now, he faces a hungrier than ever Brandon Royval, who happens to think he has the recipe for the champ’s disaster. One thing is for sure, this is the real main event—at least for me. Check out our staff picks here.
Alexandre Pantoja vs. Brandon Royval live play-by-play
Round 1
Pantoja goes after Royval with three piston shots. Pantoja goes for a double leg but gets stuffed. Royval with a low kick than a good left. Pantoja with a solid right hand up top. Royval lands a solid right. Pantoja with a thudding body kick, and then another.
Royval misses on a high kick. Low kick by Pantoja. Pantoja gets the double and puts Royval on his butt. Pantoja already in half guard. Royval fighting him off with punches and now an upkick. Pantoja dives back down but Royval’s upkicks are keeping him at bay. Pantoja back in half guard.
Royval fighting him tooth and nail again. Massive scramble puts Pantoja in side control and now he’s in mount. Pantoja back in half guard. Royval back to his feet. Pantoja lands a knee to the body as Royval rips a right up top. Nice right lands for Royval but Pantoja responds with a right of his own and a leg kick as the round ends.
Round 2
Huge right for Pantoja. Pantoja with a nasty body kick. Pantoja goes for the takedown but gets stuffed. Knee up the middle for Pantoja. Low kick for Pantoja. Pantoja scores another takedown and is working his way to side mount. Royval striking from the bottom. Pantoja already in half guard.
Royval trying to punch Pantoja but he’s resting very heavy on top. Pantoja just laying on top and not punching. Pantoja’s rest period must be over as he just quickly moved into side mount and he has the left arm trapped. Royval just shucked him back into half guard. Royval striking with both hands to the sides of
Pantoja’s head from the bottom. Pantoja postured up briefly to land a couple big shots. They’re back up and Pantoja just stunned Royval with a big right. Royval lands one of his own. Pantoja gets him down and lands in side control. Royval scrambling to get free. Pantoja postures up just as the round ends.
Round 3
Pantoja rushes in with two quick shots, the latter of which seemed to stagger Royval, then he shoots and gets the takedown. Pantoja doing the lead blanket impression again. Now he’s in side control and working for an arm. Royval sneaks out and gets to his feet. Pantoja starting to look tired now.
Royval nailed him with a hard jab. Pantoja with a big right over the top. Royval with a sharp right up top. Pantoja working a double but Royval is defending and escapes. Pantoja is reaching with his jab now and Royval is stepping away now. Nice one-two from Royval gets answered by a big right by Pantoja.
Royval lands two quick shots. Pantoja is looking spent. Royval lands a hard right off a double jab. Pantoja eats a knee then scores the takedown. Pantoja is throwing shots to the ribs as he tries to get into side mount. Pantoja seeking the arm triangle but loses it as the round ends.
Round 4
Pantoja with a right to start the round. Pantoja already has the takedown and is frantically working to get side control. Pantoja in half guard. Royval throwing from the bottom but now Pantoja has an arm trapped as he tries to get in mount. Pantoja in full mount.
Royval works his way out but Pantoja spins around to his back and now has the body triangle and is working to secure an arm. Royval trying to fight off Pantoja’s hands. Royval is really fighting but Pantoja almost has him.
Royval is working hard to get Pantoja off him and almost gets there but Pantoja is too strong. Lots of hand fighting as Pantoja tries to get an arm. Pantoja gets reversed and now Royval is on top landing shots as the round ends. Little too late on that one for Royval.
Round 5
Royval comes out firing off the jab. Pantoja landiong a shot here and there as Royval is working constantly up top. Pantoja lands one shot as Royval peppers him with hard jabs and short hooks. Royval is working him up top and connecting with big shots now.
Pantoja looks exhausted. Royval is going to town in there. Royval pins Pantoja on the cage and works the right. Pantoja works his way back to the center and lands a big body kick but eats several up top. Pantoja shoots for a double but eats a nasty right on the way in.
Royval makes his way back up but Pantoja gets him back down. Pantoja is on top but Royval is fighting him tooth and nail. Pantoja has moved into half guard again. Royval trying to turn but Pantoja is head blanket heavy again. Pantoja now landing the left.
Pantoja trying to secure side mount but Royval is keeping him at bay. Pantoja briefly gets side mount but Royval scrambled back. Now Pantoja has full mount and is working to get to the back. Hammerfist by Pantoja as the horn sounds. Fight over. Outstanding scrap!
Official Decision
– Alexandre Pantoja def. Brandon Royval via unanimous decision (50-45×2, 49-46): Flyweight Title
UFC 296 Quick Results
Main card
- – Leon Edwards vs. Colby Covington: Welterweight Title
- – Alexandre Pantoja def. Brandon Royval via unanimous decision (50-45×2, 49-46): Flyweight Title
- – Shavkat Rakhmonov def. Stephen Thompson via submission (RNC) at 4:56 of round 2: Welterweight
- – Paddy Pimblett def. Tony Ferguson by unanimous decision (30-27 x3): Lightweight
- – Josh Emmett def. Bryce Mitchell via KO at 1:57 of round 1: Featherweight
Prelims
- – Irene Aldana def. Karol Rosa by unanimous decision (29-28 x3): (W) Bantamweight
- – Cody Garbrandt def. Brian Kelleher by KO at 3:42 of round 1: Bantamweight
- – Ariane Lipski def. Casey O’Neill by submission (Armbar) at 1:18 of round 2: (W) Flyweight
- – Alonzo Menifield def. Dustin Jacoby via unanimous decision (29-28×3): Light Heavyweight
- – Tagir Ulanbekov def. Cody Durden by submission (RNC) at 4:25 of round 2: Flyweight
- – Andre Fili def. Lucas Almeida by TKO at 3:32 of round 1: Featherweight
- – Shamil Gaziev def. Martin Buday by TKO at :56 of round 2: Heavyweight
Start date and time
UFC 296: Edwards vs. Covington takes place on December 16th, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The PPV main card starts at 10 p.m. ET. The prelims begin at 6 p.m. ET.
Live streams
UFC 296: Leon Edwards vs. Colby Covington is available on ESPN+ PPV for $79.99 for current subscribers. New subscribers can pay $124.98 for the UFC 296 pay-per-view and an ESPN+ annual subscription.
