Brandon Royval lost a highly competitive and record-breaking fight to Joshua Van at UFC 317, which was considered a potential Fight of the Year, showcasing incredible striking performance despite the loss, and reaffirming his status as a top flyweight contender.
Dana White rewarded Brandon Royval with double pay after his intense fight against Joshua Van at UFC 317, which featured a record-breaking 419 significant strikes, highlighting the fight as one of the best in recent memory and setting up a future title shot for Van.
UFC CEO Dana White praises Max Holloway for his last-second knockout victory over Justin Gaethje at UFC 300, calling it the "ultimate holy s*** moment" and a career-defining moment. White lauds Holloway's decision to trade shots with Gaethje in the closing seconds, elevating him to a new level of stardom in the MMA world and earning him the "BMF" championship. The fight was awarded Fight of the Night, and White believes it will be hard to surpass as the Fight of the Year.
Rafael Espinoza shocks Robeisy Ramirez to become the WBO champion in a thrilling fight that is a contender for Fight of the Year. Espinoza showed excellent footwork, fast hands, and power shots, but was knocked down in the 5th round. Despite being compromised, Espinoza rallied and delivered a knockdown in the final seconds to secure a majority decision victory. Ramirez graciously accepted defeat, and both fighters expressed interest in a rematch. In the chief support, Xander Zayas dominated Jorge Fortea, winning by knockout in the fifth round and calling out former WBO champ Patrick Teixeira for a future fight.