Brandon Royval nickname origin: Why is the UFC flyweight known as 'Raw Dawg?'

UFC flyweight contender Brandon Royval has one of the most intriguing nicknames in combat sports.

This weekend at the Arena CDMX Mexico City, the octagon announcer will stand in the center and bellow the name Brandon 'Raw Dawg' Royval to a sold-out crowd as well as the millions watching at home. So where does the nickname come from?

Well, at the UFC Vegas 46 media day last year, Royval finally spoke up about his nickname and revealed the origin story behind it. According to the Colorado native, the name 'Raw Dawg' was actually given to him by a drunken fan during one of his fights. He explained:

“That nickname came from a drunk fan in the audience. He was yelling, ‘Brandon, raw dog him, raw dog him.' That happened when I was an amateur, and years after that [my team] were like yeah, Brandon 'Raw Dawg' Royval, and making jokes.”

He continued:

"When I fought for World Series of Fighting, I used it to see if they would say it on TV, and then I knocked the dude out, and I was like, ‘Well, I guess we’re sticking with this nickname.’ Once you have a nickname like 'Raw Dawg,' it doesn’t really go away.”

Catch Royval's comments here (8:40):

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Brandon Royval to face former champion after coming up short against Alexandre Pantoja

Brandon Royval fought reigning UFC flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 296 in December 2023. The fight marked Pantoja's first attempt at defending the title and it was a rematch of their 2021 fight that the Brazilian won by second-round submission.

Heading into the bout, 'Raw Dawg' was riding a three-fight winning streak which included back-to-back bonuses and two first-round finishes. However, Pantoja proved to be the better fighter at UFC 296, walking away with a unanimous decision victory after five hard-fought rounds.

But unlike the first meeting, the Brazilian had to dig deep and work hard to maintain a lead on the scorecards, which showed improvements in Royval's game.

'Raw dawg' is now set to fight former two-time UFC flyweight champion Brandon Moreno in an attempt to fast-track his way to another crack at the title. The pair previously fought in 2020 and Moreno emerged victoriously via TKO.

The rematch will headline the UFC Mexico event that takes place on Feb. 24, 2024.