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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."
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.
