“I’m a constant overthinker,” he laughs. “I overthink and over analyze everything. But fighting has always been such a weird little blessing for me. It’s the only thing that I’ve never just overthought completely. I can let my brain flow and go. I’ve always been able to trust my instincts in situations and go and flow off of that. I don’t have to think at all; I can just let it go and be free. I run off pure instinct and it’s being in the moment.”
He can’t wait for that moment to come again this weekend. He doesn’t know if Askarov is feeling the same level of excitement.
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“I get nervous about fights no matter what, but if I’m Askarov, I don’t know how I would not just be having nightmares every day when some dude’s planning on breaking my arm or taking my head off, submitting me, choking me and all of the above, while his only hope is to hold me for three rounds,” said Royval.
That begs the question of all questions – 20 years from now, when he settles into retirement, what replaces that feeling he gets in a fight?
“I don’t think anything could ever replace this,” he said.