It’s just not in Brandon Royval’s nature to back down from a challenge. Originally scheduled to face Manel Kape on the card, Royval took a big risk accepting the fight against a much lower ranked opponent like Van but he acknowledged that’s just how he’s built.

Van's power and timing proved the difference. In Round 1, he out-timed Royval in the exchanges and appeared to land the more effective shots. Although Rovval came on strong in Round 3, Van dug deeped and out-dogged "Raw Dawg.

Joshua Van earned the biggest victory of his career at UFC 317, defeating top flyweight contender Brandon Royval by unanimous decision. The three-round battle, considered a potential Fight of the Year candidate,