UFC 307 was filled with incredible MMA action and flyweight Brandon Royval was there to experience it. The fighter was there to corner his good friend and teammate Alexander Hernandez in his fight. However, Royval didn’t expect to find himself in the middle of a fatal shooting while roaming in Salt Lake City.
Hernandez did win the fight against Austin Hubbard by unanimous decision and revealed what transpired on the morning of the fight. The fighter told the reporters that he and Royval encountered a dangerous situation in the form of a fatal shooting. Royval recently confirmed the story and explained how wild his life has been lately.
I feel like I’m a little bit of a sh*t magnet. So I’m not really unfamiliar with some weird sh*t like that. But not necessarily a shooting like that..It’s been a crazy month. I’ve been threatened by crackheads, done CPR, been in a car accident, and the f*cking shooting and seeing someone die. Anyways. Probably stay away from me this week.
Brandon Royval said at UFC Vegas 98 media day
According to the Salt Lake City Police Department, the suspect, Farshad Hassan-Puori has since been arrested. He was identified as allegedly killing 30-year-old Gage Barrows. Royval reportedly ran after the shooter and was a little overwhelmed while talking about the experience because of the fatality involved.
However, the fighter was relieved that the incident didn’t affect his friend’s fight. Being a fighter and having seen so much violence, it was a natural reaction from Royval to run after the shooter. Dana White had an incredible reaction and couldn’t believe how his fighters always end up in these situations.
UFC fighters and criminal encounters
UFC athletes are fighters both inside and beyond the cage, and their reactions to violent events differ from those of the general public. While the normal person prefers to avoid danger, a professional fighter is more likely to tackle it head-on. In the past, UFC fighters have frequently found themselves in such situations, and the outcome is what anyone could expect.
The current heavyweight champion Jon Jones once found himself chasing a robber with a shotgun. The incident took place in 2020 when someone tried to break into Jones’s car and he had to take matters into his own hands. A similar situation happened with former middleweight champion Sean Strickland. The fighter once held an individual at gunpoint who was roaming around his house in the night.
Other than this, in 2022, Cain Velasquez was charged with attempted murder after allegedly shooting at a man. The individual was accused of molesting his family member and Velasquez injured the man’s stepfather during a high-speed car chase. Incidents like this are quite common and definitely get the attention of fight fans from time to time.
