“LFA was the biggest platform for flyweights in North America,” Royval said. “UFC at the time was cutting flyweights, and the biggest organization that was out there with flyweights was LFA.”
Cejudo would go on to defend his title and save the entire division. The flyweights had been whittled down and were facing reconstruction. The new recruits would be more exciting than ever and finishing flyweights would be treated like left-handed aces in MLB.
This would be Royval and LFA’s time to shine their brightest.
“When you’re a guy like Jimmy Flick or myself and have a high finish rate, nobody’s going to want to fight you because you’re going to get knocked out or submitted,” Royval explained. “That’s why you keep seeing exciting fighters because when you’re an exciting fighter you’ll get avoided. The only way to not get avoided is you’ve got to go to LFA, and since everybody wants a shot in LFA, it’s the only real way to get a fight.”
Outside of the competition, Royval also admires the LFA’s willingness to let fighters be themselves, and in the UFC, Royval continues to become more and more likable both in and outside of the Octagon.
