Askar Askarov vs Brandon Royval: Preview, Where to watch, and Betting Odds

Russian-born boxer and wrestler Askar Askarov and American mixed martial artist Brandon Royval battle in the Octagon at UFC Fight Night: Grasso vs Araujo in what is essentially a championship eliminator in the Flyweight division. The winner of the bout will be expected to challenge either Deiveson Figueiredo or Brandon Moreno. They are billed for a showdown to decide the undisputed flyweight champion in the coming months. Askarov and Royval will fight on the main card of the Fight Night on October 16. 

MMA: UFC Flyweight

Location: UFC Apex, Las Vegas

Date: 16-10-2022: 02:00

Where to watch: ESPN+

Born in Dagestan, the 30-year-old was the former ACB Flyweight champion. He also won the 2017 Summer Deaflympics 61kg freestyle wrestling gold medal. Askarov, was born deaf, and although his listening has improved since then, he cannot hear instructions from his team while in the ring. ‘Bullet’ is number four in the UFC Flyweight rankings. In his five fights in the promotion, he has three decision wins, one draw, and a loss in his last fight against Kai Kara-France. Before joining the UFC, his fights never went to the judges’ decision, as he won by either submission or knockouts. 

• Age: 30
• Height: 5’ 6”
• Reach: 67’
• Total: 16
• Record:14-1-1

The number five ranked Flyweight in the UFC, 30-year-old, Rovyal, is a former Legacy Fighting Alliance Flyweight champion. He has won $150,000 from three Fights of the Night bonus awards in the UFC. A member of Factory X, ‘Raw Dawg’ is a Jiu-Jitsu black belt. His wins in the UFC include a second-round submission against Kai Kara-France This year already, he has picked up two wins against Matt Schnell and Rogerio Bontorin. 

• Age: 30
• Height: 5’ 7”
• Reach: 68’
• Total: 20
• Record:14-6-0

Askarov is the favorite to win the battle with 1.425 odds to win on 1xbet. Betting for a Brandon Royval win goes for 2.685 odds. Askarov has seven career submissions so a bet for a fight outcome by KO, TKO, DQ and Submission by him is priced at 3.10 odds on Bet 365. BetKing lists under 1.5 rounds for 2.10 odds. A bet that the fight will go beyond the first round is at 1.70 odds.