Brandon Royval Says UFC Used Follower Counts to Pass Him Over for Main Event

He told Ariel Helwani that social reach shaped past booking choices and said he will post more to boost his marketability.

Overview

Royval said on Tuesday that the UFC told him another fighter got a main-event slot because she had far more social media followers than he did.
He pointed to the UFC Vegas 62 shuffle in 2022, when Alexa Grasso was promoted to the headliner after Sean Strickland withdrew, as the example that left him frustrated.
After being buried on prelims at UFC Kansas City — a placement Dana White later called a matchmaking mistake — Royval went on to headline multiple cards and remain in the flyweight title mix.
Royval reinforced his case in the cage on July 11 at UFC 329 with a third-round submission of Lone’er Kavanagh that earned Fight of the Night and a $100,000 bonus.
The episode highlights how promotions weigh rankings and commercial reach, and it could push more fighters to use social platforms as leverage to win bigger slots and TV exposure.