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Brandon Royval claims social media followers cost him UFC main event

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Brandon Royval claims social media followers cost him UFC main event
Brandon
Royval once missed out on a main event spot in the
Ultimate Fighting Championship due to his social media
following.

Royval was scheduled to fight Askar
Askarov in October 2022 in Las Vegas. Despite being a
high-ranked flyweight contender, he wasn't given the headliner spot
on the card. Alexa
Grasso headlined the card instead, with the Mexican taking on
Viviane
Araujo.

Brandon Royval explains UFC matchmaking decision involving
Alexa Grasso

Royval recently revealed that the UFC told him Grasso had jumped
ahead of him to take the main event spot because she had
substantially more social media followers. He was livid at losing
out on a headlining role, although it eventually didn't matter as
Askarov pulled out due to weight cut issues.

“Having followers is such a big deal,†Royval told Ariel Helwani.
“I remember they didn’t book me as the main event, and their
reasoning was, I think it was Alexa Grasso, who they boosted in
front of me. They were like, ‘She has way more followers than you.'
But Askarov pulled out of that fight anyway, so it didn't matter. I
was pissed.â€

The incident made Royval (18-9) reconsider the importance of social
media in the modern era. “Raw Dawg†has since started engaging more
consistently with fans online.

Royval was recently in attendance at
UFC 328 this past May at Prudential Center in Newark, New
Jersey. While Royval's name was displayed on the arena's screen,
the camera focused on a woman sitting next to the former
LFA champion. After the moment started gaining traction on
social media, Royval posted a video with the woman, which garnered
massive engagement on his Instagram.

Social media aside, Royval's performances inside the Octagon have
also boosted his profile. He recently scored a submission win over
Lone'er
Kavanagh at
UFC 329 to rebound from a two-fight skid, earning a Fight of
the Night bonus as well.


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MMA

Logan Paul calls out Conor McGregor following devastating UFC 329 injury

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Logan Paul calls out Conor McGregor following devastating UFC 329 injury

Logan Paul wants to pursue a Conor McGregor match. | 📷: Amanda
Westcott/Showtime



Logan
Paul believes
Ultimate Fighting Championship star Conor
McGregor’s recent injury could pave the way for a clash between
the two, as he now considers the Irishman “incapable of
fighting.â€

McGregor returned to action following a five-year hiatus at

UFC 329, headlining opposite former featherweight champion
Max
Holloway. However, their rematch only lasted 69 seconds after
McGregor suffered a knee injury throwing his first kick.

With McGregor far removed from his fighting prime, Paul wants to
take him on.

Logan Paul wants WWE to capitalize on Conor McGregor’s fighting
future

During a recent episode of the “Impaulsive” podcast, Paul discussed
the irony of McGregor's slump after the Irish superstar previously
took shots at professional wrestling and its biggest stars.

“Something I find so funny, he definitely has roasted the WWE and WWE superstars in
the past,†Paul said. “He put out a tweet dissing Roman Reigns;
the Roman Reigns tweet was recently. At the moment, Conor is doing
WWE. He is incapable of fighting.â€

Paul then claimed that he immediately contacted WWE management
after McGregor's defeat, pitching the idea of a future clash
between the two high-profile personalities.

“I don't think WWE will let me fight anyone,†Paul added. “I'll be
honest, I texted my boss after Conor lost. I was like, ‘Bro, Conor
is cooked, do something with it. Make a bag, let me fight him. Big
WWE star versus big WWE star, cause that's what he is now.' He said
that he thinks he's done.â€

McGregor has one fight remaining on his current UFC contract and
has reiterated that he intends to return following knee surgery to
fight out his contract.

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MMA

Axel Sola: First UFC loss made me more money than 11 wins

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Axel Sola: First UFC loss made me more money than 11 wins
Axel
Sola considers his last defeat in the
Ultimate Fighting Championship an “alpha loss.â€

Sola put his perfect record on the line in a lightweight tilt
against Mason Jones
at
UFC London this past March. Sola and Jones put on a
back-and-forth slugfest for 15 minutes that stole the show. While
the French lightweight suffered a decision loss, both fighters
walked home with an extra $100k each after earning Fight of the
Night honors.

Sola has now outlined the positives of his last bout.

Axel Sola explains the impact of his Mason Jones loss before
UFC Abu Dhabi

Despite losing his undefeated record, Sola believes it made him a
better fighter. The Frenchman also claims that the loss earned him
more stardom and money than his past 11 wins.

“Great experience,†he said in a recent interview when asked about
his last fight. “It definitely made me a better fighter. In one
loss, I had more gain in visibility and money than in 11 wins. So,
it was an alpha loss, let's say.â€

Sola (11-1-1) is now scheduled to face Ismael
Bonfim (20-6) at
UFC Abu Dhabi on July 25 at Etihad Arena on Yas Island. Bonfim
is 2-3 in the UFC and coming off back-to-back stoppage losses. Sola
is not only looking to get his hands raised, but is eager to do so
in emphatic fashion.

“A win is good, but the quality of the win is even more important,â€
he added. “So, it will all depend on the way I win.â€

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MMA

UFC veteran says UFC Abu Dhabi win will fund Las Vegas move

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UFC veteran says UFC Abu Dhabi win will fund Las Vegas move
Mike
Davis needs to win at
UFC Abu Dhabi to take the next leap in his career.

Davis is scheduled to fight Nurullo
Aliev in a lightweight matchup on July 25 at Etihad Arena in
Abu Dhabi. He wants to secure a win so he can use the money to move
to Las Vegas, considered the home of the
Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Mike Davis explains why Las Vegas move could boost his UFC
career

Davis claims moving to Las Vegas is the ideal next step to advance
his career. Considering Meta Apex and T-Mobile Arena are the UFC's
most frequented venues in recent years, the 155-pounder believes
it'll allow him to stay more active.

Davis regularly visits Las Vegas, where he trains at the UFC
Performance Institute, known for its state-of-the-art facilities.
Having been injury-ridden throughout his career, he believes he
will be healthier if he regularly visits the UFC PI.

“After this win, I plan to use the funds to move to Vegas,†Davis
said in a recent interview. “That way I'm closer to the UFC and I
can be involved with the short-notice T-Mobile and Apex fights. I
just want to be more active and more involved in what the UFC does
and what I can do with the UFC. So, the Vegas move is after this… I
just came back from Vegas. I was at the PI every day, doing
strength and conditioning. It's definitely the environment that I
need, the environment that my body needs. To be treated every
single day, I'm not gonna be injured anymore, which means I can
fight more often.â€

Davis is 5-2 in the UFC and coming off a knockout win over Mitch
Ramirez that saw him rebound from a loss against Fares Ziam.
Meanwhile, undefeated Tajik prospect Aliev has three UFC wins to
his name since earning a contract on
Dana White's Contender Series.

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