Brandon Royval vs. Joshua Van: Odds, full fight preview and prediction | UFC 317

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Flyweight scrappers Brandon Royval vs. Joshua Van will square off this weekend (Sat., June 28, 2025) inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada for UFC 317.

Royval remains in a difficult position having lost two fights to the current champion. Credit to the 32-year-old “Raw Dog,” who has nevertheless put himself back into contention by scoring a pair of high-level wins over Brandon Moreno and Tatsuro Taira. His victories were supposed to land him a surefire title eliminator opposite Manel Kape, but injury struck “Starboy.” Kape’s absence allowed Van to land this jump in competition just a couple weeks after smoking Bruno da Silva, extending his win streak to four. The 23 year old is clearly a special talent, but is this too much of a leap?

Let’s take a closer look at the betting odds and strategic keys for each athlete:

Royval vs. Van Betting Odds

Brandon Royval victory: -125
Brandon Royval via TKO/KO/DQ: TBD
Brandon Royval via submission: TBD
Brandon Royval via decision: TBD
Joshua Van victory: +110
Joshua Van via TKO/KO/DQ: TBD
Joshua Van via submission: TBD
Joshua Van via decision: TBD
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook

How Royval Wins

Royval has really switched up his game in recent years. Five fights back, he was a lot like Van, pressuring his opposition with relentless combinations of creative offense. More recently, he’s been working harder on maintaining his distance and maximizing his reach advantage, which has meant a slight decline in chaos.

I’m not sure he’ll be able to avoid a brawl here. Van pushes the issue too heavily, and Royval is a natural scrapper. Hit him in the face once, and he’s going to try to get it back right away! There’s no way these two don’t end up throwing down sooner than later.

The key for Rovyal is to continue mixing up his attack. He doesn’t want to box with the boxer, he wants to pull him into hard knees and elbows. Several times, we’ve see Van chasing his opponent around the cage only to be surprised when they plant their feet and crack him. A bit of mobility could go a long way, particularly if Royval is able to time intercepting shots.

Generally, I don’t think it would benefit Royval to wrestle here. He’s the “better” grappler, but Van’s takedown defense has held up well and tends to exhaust his opponents. Royval can capitalize on grappling opportunities if they come — he just can’t force them.

How Van Wins

Van is an excellent combination puncher who excels at pushing the pace and ripping the body. In many ways, he’s reminiscent of a young Max Holloway during the “Blessed” rise, overwhelming his opposition with grit and finesse alike. He’s not afraid to take a shot, because he’s going to fire back three every time.

Distance is going to be a major factor here. Van is obviously going to want to close in on his rangier foe, but he still has to find some success at distance. He should be looking to counter kicks, both with his combinations and with chopping kicks of his own. The cage is definitely Van’s friend here, as trapping Royval along the fence will help ensure Van can extend combinations and build damage.

Van has to be sneaky in how he closes distance, lest he walk into counters repeatedly. Feints and false starts will help him get inside, and he should be trying to gain angles before bursting forward as well.

Royval vs. Van Prediction

I’m definitely a believer in Van’s longtime potential and think he can be champion, but this is a little too much, too soon. His defense is still something of a liability, and Royval is one of the nastiest strikers in the division. He’s timed and hurt better fighters than Van, and that’s not getting into the whole “Fighting twice in three weeks” angle of the match up.

Royval has the skills to outpoint Van at distance then hurt him when he tries to force the issue. I’m sure “Fearless” will still find some success and get off some cool combos, but he’s going to be a step behind his more experienced foe.

Prediction: Royval via decision