Alexandre Pantoja dominated the ground game to fend off a game challenge by Brandon Royval to defend his flyweight title Saturday night at UFC 296.
— Alexandre Pantoja secured the first defense of his flyweight championship on Saturday, outworking Brandon Royval in a clear decision victory in the co-main event at UFC 296 inside T-Mobile Arena.
Pantoja (27-5) looked gassed midway through the five-round affair, but still managed to dominate Royval (15-7) on the ground en route to unanimous judges scores of 50-45, 50-45 and 49-46.
For Pantoja, of Brazil, it was his second victory over Royval. The two met as rising contenders in August 2021, with Pantoja winning by submission.
„The fight was maybe boring. I don’t like to do that [kind of fight],“ said Pantoja, who racked up nearly 16 minutes of top control, according to UFC Stats.
