The countdown to the end of the ESPN era continues with UFC Vegas 111, another under-the-radar card that is probably leaving plenty of fans asking themselves why they should tune in.
With respect to Saturday’s
welterweight headliners Gabriel Bonfim and Randy Brown, we have to be honest and remind everyone this matchup wasn’t even originally planned to be a main event. Bonfim was supposed to be enjoying a home country advantage at UFC Rio, but with the schedule demanding something at least vaguely respectable close the show at the APEX, these two got the call.
And it’s a great fight! Bonfim has a lot of work to do to prove he’s a legitimate contender after narrowly beating Stephen Thompson this past July in a fight a lot of people thought Thompson won. It wasn’t long ago Bonfim was a 15-0 golden boy, but when you steal one from “Wonderboy,” you’re going to invite plenty of ire from the MMA community.
Then we have Randy Brown, who makes his 21st UFC appearance having never quite cracked the top 10 but never fallen far from rankings range. He’s dependable. Consistent. Often exciting! But is he ever going to challenge for a title? “Rudeboy” turned 35 this past summer and his division isn’t getting any younger.
As usual with these kinds of matchups, it’s best to just enjoy the action and not worry about what it necessarily means in the greater narrative of these fighters’ careers. Then again, that’s easy for us to say.
What: UFC Vegas 111
Where: UFC APEX in Las Vegas
When: Saturday, Nov. 8. The seven-fight preliminary card begins at 4 p.m. ET on ESPN and ESPN+, followed by a five-fight main card at 7 p.m. ET also on ESPN and ESPN+.
(Numbers in parentheses indicate standing in the MMA Fighting Global Rankings)
Gabriel Bonfim vs. Randy Brown
Gabriel Bonfim could very well do to Randy Brown what he did to Stephen Thompson, which is to say use his grappling to annoy and frustrate Brown en route to a decision win. One thing is sticking out to me, though: Five rounds.
We all saw the last five minutes of the Wonderboy fight. Bonfim didn’t look great, but one takedown and some uneventful top control was enough to scrape out a win. Had that gone on for 10 more minutes, would anyone have favored Bonfim? This is the scenario we could see play out tonight.
Brown has size and speed, and yes, he’s a big target for Bonfim to get his hands on, but Brown’s defensive grappling has always been solid. If he avoids being submitted in the first two rounds, this fight could completely change from there. Bonfim’s cardio has to be on point or Brown will pick him apart in the later stages of the fight.
There’s a lot to like about Bonfim, especially his A-plus grappling. I always say I like a fighter who has an A-plus skill to go a long way, so I’m actually going against my own biases here and sticking with Brown to finish what Thompson started.
Pick: Brown
Matt Schnell vs. Joseph Morales
A genuine co-main event, don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. Joseph Morales just won The Ultimate Fighter 33 to earn his way back into the UFC and that’s a champion in my eyes!
I’m at the front of the Morales Redemption, so you know I’m picking him to beat Matt Schnell. This is probably foolish given Schnell is a survivor in his own right, seemingly having one foot out the door since 2022 and yet finding a way to hang on. But let’s be honest, his recent job-saving win came against Jimmy Flick, who himself briefly retired in 2021. Odds are Morales is meant to be showcased here.
If this is the end for Schnell, there’s a lot worse ways to go than Morales pummeling him with ground-and-pound or silencing him with a slick choke. “The first one now will be later be last,” as they say, and Schnell, this might be your time to pass the torch for good.
Pick: Morales
Muslim Salikhov vs. Uros Medic
Oh Uros Medic, ye of the heavy hands and the high chin, what will become of you?
Medic has never gone to the scorecards and that will continue Saturday when he faces the “King of Kung Fu” himself, Muslim Salikhov. This matchup was not on my 2025 bingo card, so whoever dreamt this one up, kudos to you.
I can’t reasonably pick Medic here because, well, he gets hit. A lot. He’s going to serve up that head on a silver platter for Salikhov and at some point Salikhov will connect. That said, Medic hits like a truck and his speed could give him the early advantage. And an early advantage might be all he needs to clobber Salikhov.
Logic dictates Salikhov makes Medic pay for his lackluster defense, which based my track record means Medic probably wins this one in 10 seconds.
Pick: Salikhov
Chris Padilla vs. Ismael Bonfim
This should still turn out to be a fun standup battle even with Ismael Bonfim (FINGER OF SHAME) missing weight by a ridiculous five pounds. He’s lucky it only cost him 25 percent of his purse.
Regardless, the matchmakers had the right idea pairing these two up. Both are tactical strikers who also implement plenty of volume into their attacks. I’d say Padilla is the slightly more unorthodox of the two, while Bonfim is more capable of landing that one-shot KO. Both are plenty explosive, though.
It’s Padilla’s ability to throw off-speed, as it were, that has me picking him in what should be a close matchup. The scoring is going to come down to who has more big moments as opposed to who can overwhelm their opponent, and I think “Taco” sneaks in a few more good shots to catch the judges’ eyes. I’m also doubting Bonfim is at his best, based on his poor showing at the scale.
Padilla by points.
Pick: Padilla
Christian Leroy Duncan vs. Marco Tulio
This is either going to be a kick-ass opener or an affront to the eyes. There’s no in between.
Based on Marco Tulio’s track record so far, we’re in for excitement. “Matuto” is insanely aggressive, constantly searching for openings to land his monster right while also having plenty of pop in his left. And you can bet he’ll toss a few head kicks in there with no concern of Christian Leroy Duncan attempting to take him down.
“CLD” has a sketchier reputation when it comes to action, not because he’s incapable of executing some beautiful techniques in there, he’s just a little slower to pull the trigger. Typically, if an opponent brings the fight to him, he’ll oblige, so I’m optimistic Tulio brings out the best in him.
I should amend that to cautiously optimistic, which is why I favor Tulio’s headhunting style. Duncan has never been finished and his defense is solid, but I predict he’ll get drawn into a brawl here and end up sinking rather than swimming.
Pick: Tulio
Preliminaries
Hyder Amil def. Jamall Emmers
Raoni Barcelos def. Ricky Simon
Jacqueline Cavalcanti (10) def. Mayra Bueno Silva
Josh Hokit def. Max Gimenis
Denise Gomes def. Tecia Pennington (T14)
Miles Johns def. Daniel Marcos
Jackson McVey def. Zachary Reese
