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Lone'er Kavanagh was hoping to take out another top flyweight contender in a few months time, but claims Brandon Royval doesn't want the smoke.
Fresh off a breakthrough unanimous decision victory over former two-time champion Brandon Moreno at UFC Fight Night 268 in Mexico City, Kavanagh (10-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) says he was presented a matchup with Royval (17-9 MMA, 7-5 UFC) for UFC Fight Night in Macau on May 30 (Paramount+).
Kavanagh immediately agreed, but said his team later informed him that "Raw Dog" declined the offer.
"I got offered to fight Brandon Royval in May for Macau," Kavanagh told MMA Junkie on Thursday. "I spoke to my manager yesterday, and he turned me down. He didn't accept the fight. So firstly, Brandon, what's up with that? I want to fight the best to be the best. He's ranked above me, and I feel like that's a good fight for me. It makes sense. So please accept the fight, Brandon. Please. I would love to fight back in Macau. And to headline Macau, especially, would be a dream come true. So please accept the fight."
Kavanagh, 26, said UFC didn't give a reason why Royval denied the matchup. A number of variables come into play when booking any fight, but Kavanagh thinks it's a logical pairing.
Royval, No. 4 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie flyweight rankings, is coming off back-to-back losses against Manel Kape and Joshua Van. With UFC champ Van set to defend against Tatsuro Taira at UFC 327 on April 11, there are only limited names available above No. 7-ranked Kavanagh at this point – so he hopes Royval will change his mind.
"I'd love to have this fight, especially in Macau would be amazing. But for me, I want to get to the top as quick as possible, so I'm game for everything," Kavanagh said. "Brandon's been around for a long time. He's ranked No. 4 for a reason. He's been at the top for a while. I'm always looking for the finish, so I feel like I can get it. If not, I feel like I'm ready for an all-out shootout, for a five-round war."
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Lone'er Kavanagh: Brandon Royval turned down UFC Macau offer
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Fresh off a breakthrough unanimous decision victory over former two-time champion Brandon Moreno at UFC Fight Night 268 in Mexico City, Kavanagh (10-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) says he was presented a matchup with Royval (17-9 MMA, 7-5 UFC) for UFC Fight Night in Macau on May 30 (Paramount+).
Kavanagh immediately agreed, but said his team later informed him that "Raw Dog" declined the offer.
"I got offered to fight Brandon Royval in May for Macau," Kavanagh told MMA Junkie on Thursday. "I spoke to my manager yesterday, and he turned me down. He didn't accept the fight. So firstly, Brandon, what's up with that? I want to fight the best to be the best. He's ranked above me, and I feel like that's a good fight for me. It makes sense. So please accept the fight, Brandon. Please. I would love to fight back in Macau. And to headline Macau, especially, would be a dream come true. So please accept the fight."
Kavanagh, 26, said UFC didn't give a reason why Royval denied the matchup. A number of variables come into play when booking any fight, but Kavanagh thinks it's a logical pairing.
Royval, No. 4 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie flyweight rankings, is coming off back-to-back losses against Manel Kape and Joshua Van. With UFC champ Van set to defend against Tatsuro Taira at UFC 327 on April 11, there are only limited names available above No. 7-ranked Kavanagh at this point – so he hopes Royval will change his mind.
"I'd love to have this fight, especially in Macau would be amazing. But for me, I want to get to the top as quick as possible, so I'm game for everything," Kavanagh said. "Brandon's been around for a long time. He's ranked No. 4 for a reason. He's been at the top for a while. I'm always looking for the finish, so I feel like I can get it. If not, I feel like I'm ready for an all-out shootout, for a five-round war."
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Lone'er Kavanagh: Brandon Royval turned down UFC Macau offer
Continue reading...
