“Moreno might be washed” – Fans react to Brandon Royval beating Brandon Moreno amidst boos of fans at UFC Mexico City

Brandon Royval jumps back into title contention with close split decision win over Brandon Moreno.

“Moreno might be washed” – Fans react to Brandon Royval beating Brandon Moreno amidst boos of fans at UFC Mexico City

Brandon Royval takes the split decision victory over Brandon Moreno at UFC Mexico City (via X)

UFC Mexico City was one of the best cards of this year so far. The action, the comebacks, and the upsets made this card. One of the biggest upsets was scored by Brandon Royval with a win over Brandon Moreno in the main event. Royval earned a close split decision victory to hand Moreno his second straight loss.

The fight headlined the UFC’s return to Mexico before a raucous sold-out crowd. Moreno was the heavy favorite fighting in front of his adoring home fans. But Royval played spoiler with pressure striking. Nevertheless, the fight could have gone either way.

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Royval set the tone early despite injuring his leg on a kick in Round 1. He established a smooth rhythm, landing punching combinations and damaging body strikes. However, Moreno landed the more damaging strikes. Later, Royval’s pressure and conditioning wore on Moreno as the fight progressed.

Brandon Royval kept pushing the pace round after round while Moreno started tiring out. Royval threw over 450 strikes in the fight, and about 28% landed. Moreno threw fewer strikes but with more precision. The fight continued like this till the bell for the end of the 5th round struck.

Royval’s effective offense earned him the nod on two of the three judges’ scorecards. Moreno was awarded the third card but came up just short overall. The crowd fell silent when their hero’s defeat was announced. Royval showed respect for Moreno and the Mexican fans afterward. Both Royval and Moreno are coming off losses to the current champion Alexandre Pantoja. Royval got a bit closer to the flyweight gold with this epic win over a tough competitor.

Fight fans reacted to Brandon Royval’s split decision victory over Brandon Moreno

Brandon Royval shocked the world by defeating Brandon Moreno via a split decision at the UFC Mexico City main event. Fans reacted strongly to the surprise outcome on social media. Mexico’s beloved champion lost his second straight fight as a sizable favorite at home.

Fight fans react to Brandon Royval's split decision win
Fight fans react to Brandon Royval’s split decision win (via MMA Fighting)

Most were stunned that the underdog Royval edged the Mexican hero in his backyard. The crowd initially fell silent when Moreno’s defeat was announced. Fight fans defended the close nature of the bout and reasonably scored rounds. Others felt like Moreno had lost his edge. Others believed this win would take Royval closer to a trilogy fight against Alexandre Pantoja. Here are some of the reactions from fight fans:

https://twitter.com/AjDuxche/status/1761630512169312577?s=20

The close decision produced split reactions. Royval emerged as a new top challenger in the division. UFC Mexico City ultimately showcased high-level MMA talent and passion. Fight fans were treated to a historic night as well as a crowd brawl to top it all.

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