Nicknames in MMA aren’t just labels, they’re shorthand for a fighter’s entire identity. Some, like “The Notorious” or “Bones,” are crafted with precision. Others are accidents that end up defining careers. And then there’s Brandon Royval. The #2-ranked flyweight, who is preparing for yet another rescheduled clash with Manel Kape at UFC Vegas 112, carries one of the most chaotic, most quoted monikers in the UFC: “Raw Dawg.”

It suits him almost too well. Royval’s entire style is built on scrambling into danger and fighting through sheer instinct, as if rules are optional and hesitation is forbidden. But how did a backyard-sounding internet phrase end up attached to one of the most exciting fighters in the division?

How Brandon Royval got the ‘Raw Dawg’ nickname from a drunk fan

Hailing from Denver, Colorado, and born on August 16, 1992, before Brandon Royval was headlining cards or fighting for titles, he was a 15-year-old kid learning Muay Thai and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, trying to carve out a place in the fight world. When he debuted as an amateur in 2011 at RMBB:Extreme MMA, he had no gimmick, no persona, just a relentless style that captured attention.

But the nickname? That was never part of the plan. During UFC Vegas 46 media day, Royval finally explained the chaotic origin of “Raw Dawg.”

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According to him, the moment was completely random. “That nickname came from a drunk fan in the audience,” Royval said.

The fan kept yelling, “Brandon, raw dog him, raw dog him!” during one of his early amateur fights, loud enough that Royval’s team still laughed about it afterward. 

Over time, the joke became an inside reference among teammates as Royval recalled, “Years after that, my team were like yeah, Brandon ‘Raw Dawg’ Royval, and making jokes.”

At first, he played along. But would it ever become part of his professional identity? That answer came years later, on live television. Because once Royval tested the nickname under the bright lights, everything changed.

Royval almost changed his nickname, but it stuck permanently

When Royval joined World Series of Fighting, he wasn’t sure “Raw Dawg” belonged on a broadcast graphic. So he treated it like a dare. He admitted, “When I fought for World Series of Fighting, I used it to see if they would say it on TV.”

They did, right before Royval knocked his opponent out. That one moment sealed the nickname’s fate.

As the UFC flyweight star puts it, “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.”

And he was right. Not only did the name stick, but it became an eerie fit for his all-gas-no-brakes fight style: wild scrambles, reckless pressure, and a willingness to walk straight into chaos as if he were built for it.

Fans embraced it. The UFC embraced it. And now, years later, “Raw Dawg” is one of the most instantly recognizable monikers in the division. He certainly didn’t script his nickname, but maybe that’s what makes it perfect.

As Royval heads toward his rescheduled showdown with Manel Kape at UFC Vegas 112, the question writes itself: will “Raw Dawg” add another highlight to the legacy of his unlikely nickname?