UFC 317: Brandon Royval vs. Joshua Van Predictions and Odds

Ranked flyweight contenders Brandon Royval and Joshua Van will face each other in an important match on June 28 as part of the UFC 317 PPV card, which will take place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Despite being the former UFC flyweight title challenger and the current No.1-ranked divisional contender, Royval is still the betting underdog with +105 UFC odds, while Van, who currently rides a four-fight streak, heads into the fight as the -125 betting favorite.

UFC 317: Royval vs. Van Odds

• Brandon Royval: +105
• Joshua Van: -125

UFC 317: Royval vs. Van: Prediction

It’s going to be an intriguing matchup between these two exciting flyweight contenders, but I predict that Royval will get the job done with a unanimous decision victory because of the wealth of experience he has under his belt and the fact that he had a complete camp heading into the match.

Van is a short-notice replacement for Manel Kape, who was Royval’s original opponent for this card but withdrew due to injury. Although he looked good in his previous fight against Bruno Silva at UFC 316, I believe this is a big step up in competition for him, and a three-week camp won’t help him in his bold decision to accept this fight.

Royval may have eked out back-to-back split decision wins in his previous fights, but people forget that he fought the best of the best athletes in the 125-pound weight class. Add the fact that he had a whole camp in this match, and I don’t see any problem with why he won’t handle the challenge of Van.

Furthermore, both fighters have similar fighting styles and like to strike and let go of their hands. Royval proved he has a granite chin and takes the best shots of top contenders. But for Van, this will be his first major test in his young career, and we’ll see if he has the cardio and durability to keep up with Royval.

Brandon Royval’s Recent Fight Results

Royval was a former LFA champion with a pro record of 10 wins and four losses. He made his UFC debut against Tim Elliott in May 2020 and won via second-round submission to have the perfect octagon debut. He then won four of his next six fights to earn a shot in December 2023 against Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 296.

“Raw Dawg” was defeated by Pantjoa via unanimous decision and failed to capture the coveted UFC belt. Royval quickly bounced back with back-to-back victories in his last two outings against Brandon Moreno and Tatsuro Taira, both via a close split decision nod from the judges.

Joshua Van’s Recent Fight Results

Van was the Fury Fighting Championship flyweight champion when he was signed by the UFC in 2023 with a 7-1 pro record. He fought Zhalgas Zhumagulov and won via split decision. The Burmese MMA phenom won five of his next six bouts under the Las Vegas-based promotion, with Charles Johnson as his lone loss during this stretch.

“The Fearless” defeated the likes of Kevin Borjas, Felipe Bunes, Edgar Chairez, Cody Duren, and Rei Tsuruya. Van’s most recent triumph was just earlier this month when he knocked out Silva in the third round of the match at UFC 316 to pick up his seventh win in the UFC.

UFC 317: Royval vs. Van: Tale of the Tape