Brandon Royval knows how to make an entrance.
Can the Denver UFC fighter now deliver an encore?
That’s the task in front of the 28-year-old flyweight as he prepares for his bout with New Zealand’s Kai Kara-France today for UFC 253. The fight is scheduled for the main card of the event.
Royval (11-4 overall, 1-0 in the UFC), who trains out of Factory X Muay Thai in Englewood, is looking to go 2-for-2 against ranked opponents in just his second appearance inside The Octagon. France (21-8, 4-1 in the UFC) is ranked No. 7 in the flyweight division. Royval, after just one fight, is ranked No. 9.
The main event at UFC 253 is a middleweight title bout between champion Israel Adesanya (19-0 overall, 8-0 in the UFC) and No. 2-ranked Paul Costa (13-0 overall, 5-0 in the UFC).
UFC 253
What: UFC 253: “Adesanya vs. Costa”
When: Saturday, 6 p.m. MST prelims; 8 p.m. main card
Where: UFC Fight Island, Abu Dhabi’s Yas Island
Watch: Prelims on ESPN2/ESPN+; main card on ESPN+
UFC 253 odds
| UFC 253 main card odds | BetMGM | DraftKings | FanDuel |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main event: Middleweight title bout | Israel Adesanya (champion) -182 Pablo Costa +150 | Israel Adesanya -182 Pablo Costa +154 | Israel Adesanya -182 Pablo Costa +150 |
| Light heavyweight title bout | Dominick Reyes -256 Jan Blachowicz +230 | Dominick Reyes -295 Jan Blachowicz +240 | Dominick Reyes -278 Jan Blachowicz +225 |
| Flyweight bout | Kai Kara France -240 Brandon Royval +188 | Kai Kara France -250 Brandon Royval +205 | Kai Kara France -250 Brandon Royval +200 |
| Women's bantamweight bout | Ketlen Vieira -190 Sijara Eubanks +150 | Ketlen Vieira -250 Sijara Eubanks +152 | Ketlen Vieira -200 Sijara Eubanks +165 |
| Featherweight bout | Zubaira Tukhugov -143 Hakeem Dawodu +115 | Zubaira Tukhugov -130 Hakeem Dawodu +108 | Zubaira Tukhugov -143 Hakeem Dawodu +120 |
To give those betting on the UFC, and fans in general, a glimpse at the impact Royval has made after just one fight, he’s already included in the fighters on the rise. As the story points out, if Royval is able to put forth another win, he’ll put himself in position to have his name included in the flyweight title chase.
But to do that, Royval will have to overcome the sports betting odds. He enters his fight with France as the Colorado betting apps consensus underdog.
What Royval has going for him is his recent run of success.
His triumphant UFC debut over former title challenger Tim Elliott in a Fight of the Night bout in May at UFC Fight Night in Jacksonville is just the start.
The UFC points out that Royval’s victorious debut was his third-straight via submission and sixth win in his last seven fights.
So Royval enters this fight on Fight Island in Abu Dhabi with some serious confidence.
The fact he’s from Denver may entice the CO sports betting market to get behind the local fighter.
If Royval is able to produce a successful encore today, people in Denver and throughout the fight game will be forced to take notice.
UFC 253 promos
As you would expect, the various sportsbooks are offering a bevy of promos for today’s fight card.
Here’s a look at some of the offerings for Colorado bettors interested in UFC 253.
FanDuel is running a “UFC Decision Defense.” Place a pre-fight moneyline wager on any UFC 253 fight and get up $1,000 back if your fighter loses by split decision or majority decision.
DraftKings is running an odds boost for Reyes vs Blachowiz to end by KO/TKO/DQ to -125. It’s also boosting Adesanya, Reyes, and Royval to all win to +545.
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