Royval On Metallica, Kung Fu Movies After UFC 329 Win

Brandon Royval sat down with MMA Fighting in Las Vegas to talk about everything except his next fight — Metallica, gangster rap, and classic kung fu cinema all made the cut.

The flyweight contender, fresh off a submission win over Lone'er Kavanagh at UFC 329 that earned Fight of the Night, told José Youngs his musical tastes run from thrash metal to West Coast hip-hop. His film library leans heavily toward martial arts classics, particularly older kung fu titles that influenced his grappling style.

Royval's Recent Form After Van Title Fight

The victory over Kavanagh snapped a two-fight skid for Royval, who dropped decisions to Manel Kape and current champion Joshua Van in 2025. The Van bout was later named Fight of the Year by multiple outlets.

Royval's résumé includes wins over Tatsuro Taira, former champion Brandon Moreno, Kai Kara-France, Tim Elliott, and Matheus Nicolau. He now sits at 18-9 overall and remains one of the division's most active and entertaining fighters.

Reported via:

• MMA Fighting — Anything but Fighting: Brandon Royval loves Metallica, Gangster Rap, Kung Fu Movies, more