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UFC 329 video: Brandon Royval taps Lone’er Kavanagh with rear-naked choke after wild back-and-forth fight

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UFC 329 video: Brandon Royval taps Lone’er Kavanagh with rear-naked choke after wild back-and-forth fight

Nothing came easy for Brandon Royval but he eventually locked in a fight-ending rear-naked choke to finish Lone'er Kavanagh at UFC 329.

It was an incredible back-and-forth war from start to finish with Kavanagh nearly ending it with a knockdown in the second round but Royval survived and then mounted a great comeback in the third round. After getting the fight to the ground, Royval was searching for a submission until he finally found an opening to sink in the rear-naked choke and with no chance to escape, Kavanagh had no choice but to tap out.

The end came at 3:40 in the third round.

“I smoke rocks, Joe Rogan,†Royval joked after his win. “Me and this boy deserve a bonus. That's a future champion right there. I'm a master of chaos. I wish I fought prettier but that's not how I do it. The choke opened up and we're going to get that bonus, right?

“Asu Almabayev, let's do it… you're awesome.â€

Royval was on his front foot at the start of the fight, backing Kavanagh up and trying to find a home for his best strikes. Kavanagh seemed happy to play counter fighter as he came back at Royval with measured punches and looking to set up his combinations.

Midway through the round, Royval caught a kick from Kavanagh and threw several stiff punches in succession. That led to Royval shooting inside and taking Kavanagh to the canvas where he started chipping away with some nasty elbows.

At the start of the second round, Royval snapped off a couple of good lead jabs as he kept pushing Kavanagh backwards. Then out of nowhere, Kavanagh uncorked a perfectly timed counter right hand that put Royval down.

Kavanagh went on the attack on the ground with some huge punches and devastating elbows as Royval shifted into survival mode. Royval eventually got back to his feet and he actually went on the attack again before diving for another takedown, which was thwarted by Kavanagh.

Back on the feet, Royval tried to find his distance again but Kavanagh was quick to counter again as he moved inside to work from the clinch again. But Royval was relentless and he finally grabbed onto another takedown, although Kavanagh was quick to recover and get back to his feet again.

With five minutes remaining, Royval tagged Kavanagh and he had his opponent staggered. Royval started looking for the finish but Kavanagh fired back and this time he had the former flyweight titlte challenger hurt on the feet.

Another wild exchange led to Royval getting the fight to the ground where he began unleashing a barrage of punches and elbows. Royval then moved into position for an arm-triangle choke and Kavanagh was in trouble as he tried to scramble free.

Royval released the submission but then ended up taking the back where he was once again searching for a finish. That led to Royval snatching the rear-naked choke and Kavanagh finally had no choice but to tap out to end the fight.

It's going to be tough to deny these two the Fight of the Night award but regardless of any bonus, Royval got back on track and stopped Kavanagh's equally impressive run after he dispatched former champion Brandon Moreno in his previous outing.

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UFC Sacramento weigh-in video: Hernandez vs. Rodrigues

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6 hours ago

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August 21, 2026

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UFC Sacramento weigh-in video: Hernandez vs. Rodrigues

At the UFC Sacramento weigh-ins, all 26 fighters on Saturday's fight card step on the scale Friday in Sacramento, Calif. Watch UFC official weigh-in highlights above.

ceremonial weigh-ins above, set to kick off at 6 p.m. ET, with highlights of the morning weigh-ins available below.

In the main event, middleweight contenders Anthony Hernandez and Gregory Rodrigues face off. Both fighters can weigh no more than the 186-pound limit for their non-title fight.

Hernandez is currently tied with Caio Borralho for the No. 5 spot at middleweight in the MMA Fighting Global Rankings after seeing an eight-fight win streak snapped by Sean Strickland. Rodrigues sits at the edge of the rankings at No. 15.

In the co-main event, top-10 heavyweight Serghei Spivac fights Vitor Petrino. Neither fighter may weigh more than 266 pounds.

Official weigh-ins begin at 12 p.m. ET.

Ceremonial weigh-ins begin at 6 p.m. ET.

Check out the UFC Sacramento weigh-in results below.

Main Card (Paramount+ at 8 p.m. ET)

Anthony Hernandez (186) vs. Gregory Rodrigues (185)

Serghei Spivac (257) vs. Vitor Petrino (246)

Reinier de Ridder (205) vs. Roman Dolidze (206)

MarQuel Mederos (156) vs. Mason Jones (156)

Carli Judice (125.5) vs. Jeisla Chaves (124.5)

Terrance Chatman (266) vs. Anthony Wint (231)

Preliminary Card (Paramount+ at 5 p.m. ET)

Jamall Emmers (143.5) vs. Lerryan Douglas (145.5)

Kennedy Nzechukwu (244) vs. Shamil Gaziev (261)

Chris Padilla (156) vs. Nasrat Haqparast (155.5)

Marcio Barbosa (145.5) vs. Ryan Kuse (144.5)

Gauge Young (155.5) vs. Stan Dorsainvil (155.5)

Wes Schultz (186) vs. Jackson McVey (185)

Shanelle Dyer (116) vs. Elise Reed (115)

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Alexander Volkanovski not thinking retirement, but would consider it if ‘things go terribly wrong’ against Movsar Evloev at UFC 333

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6 hours ago

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August 21, 2026

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Alexander Volkanovski not thinking retirement, but would consider it if ‘things go terribly wrong’ against Movsar Evloev at UFC 333

Alexander Volkanovski is one of the UFC's most enduring champions, but retirement talk is inescapable as he heads into his UFC 333 main event title defense against Movsar Evloev.

“The Great†headlines the Oct. 24 event in Abu Dhabi with his featherweight championship on the line. Volkanovski will be 38 by the time he makes his next walk to the octagon, and is currently in his second reign as 145-pound champion, having successfully defended it against Diego Lopes this past February. That marked Volkanovski's sixth championship defense overall.

He has long maintained his intention to compete as long as he's physically able and enjoying fighting, but admitted in an interview with Australia's 10 News that a bad night against Evloev could accelerate his retirement plans.

“If things go terribly wrong, alright, we're done,†Volkanovski said. “If things go very well, like the last one, no damage, go through, alright, we'll keep it rolling.â€

Volkanovski won 25 of his first 26 pro fights before venturing up to lightweight to challenge Islam Makhachev. He lost a pair of fights to the now-welterweight champion, a close decision at UFC 284 and then a knockout loss at UFC 294 in a rematch that Volkanovski took on 10 days' notice as a replacement for Charles Oliveira.

Ilia Topuria then knocked Volkanovski out at UFC 298 to claim the featherweight title—Volkanovski's first-ever loss competing at 145 pounds—but after Topuria exited the division to move up to lightweight, Volkanovski became champion again by claiming a vacant belt with a win over Lopes before defeating him again in a rematch.

That resilience has kept Volkanovski near the top of the pound-for-pound rankings, and if he gets past the undefeated Evloev or at least delivers another memorable performance on Oct. 24, don't expect Volkanovski to leave the business anytime soon.

“Taking each fight as it goes, just trying to be real with it,†Volkanovski said. “But I don't have plans on retiring right now.â€

As for what keeps bringing him back, Volkanovski mentioned enjoying training, competition, and one more key factor.

“Money's always good,†Volkanovski said with a laugh.

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Carlos Prates issues warning to Michael Morales: ‘I will knock you out really fast’ after winning UFC title

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8 hours ago

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August 21, 2026

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Carlos Prates issues warning to Michael Morales: ‘I will knock you out really fast’ after winning UFC title

Carlos Prates wants to be next in line against UFC welterweight champion Islam Makhachev, and he's open to defending the title immediately after against undefeated 170-pound contender Michael Morales.

Makhachev said in the aftermath of his UFC 330 title defense over Ian Machado Garry, which went down this past weekend in Philadelphia, that maybe Prates and Morales should face off to determine the rightful contender.

The knockout artist has a different idea in mind, though. Speaking with Champions Collection, Prates was told that Morales said he was afraid to fight him.

“If the guy has two arms, two legs, one dick like me, bro, I can fight him,†Prates said. “He said I'm scared about him? I'm not scared to fight you. I'm No. 1 contender, so I wanna fight for the belt. UFC never offered the fight against you. If they offer me, of course I would knock you out really fast. First round, so don't worry. You're gonna fight and I'm gonna knock you out.â€

“But now wait, [I'll] get my belt and then we can fight. I'm never scared to fight you, bro. Don't worry.â€

Prates claimed that Morales replied to the video he sent him, saying he was “ready to fight†him. The Brazilian then issued him a final message in Spanish.

“After I get my belt, I'll knock you out,†Prates said.

Prates won three straight in the UFC with knockouts over Geoff Neal, Leon Edwards and Jack Della Maddalena to maintain his 100 percent bonus rate in the company, while Morales won seven in a row under the UFC banner with his most recent ones being stoppages against Gilbert Burns and Sean Brady.

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