Last night (Sat., Nov. 8, 2025), Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) remained inside UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada for UFC Vegas 111. For the second week in a row, no one was particularly excited about the names atop this latest “Fight Night” event. Fortunately, the matchups themselves promised action, which is all anyone can really ask for with an under-the-radar event, and by the end of the evening, there were quite a few exciting finishes. Better yet, the next three events are stacked with high-profile
talent, so this was really just a final appetizer before the promotion finishes 2025 strong.
Let’s take a look back over the best performances and techniques of the evening:
Bonfim Makes A Statement
I did not at all expect the main event to be so one-sided.
On paper, Brown’s size, boxing, and cardio seemed likely to give Bonfim some trouble. In reality, the Brazilian’s calf kick pretty much negated all of Brown’s assets. “Rude Boy” could not jab — his best and most important weapon — because his lead leg was destroyed any time he threw his lead hand. Without the jab, Brown’s crisp boxing was nowhere to be seen, and he was instead forced to lunge forward like a brawler. That’s not his game by any means, and Bonfim was timing him with hard counters well before that vicious knee landed and ended the fight.
I have two takeaways here. First and foremost, Bonfim is obviously a top talent and quality contender. That’s what it takes to defeat Brown at this stage of his career, let alone make it look easy. Secondly, it’s still really hard to look good against Stephen Thompson! Debatably losing to “Wonderboy” really turned fans against Bonfim, but the reality is that only pure wrestling/grappling approaches have soundly defeated Thompson, and even then, it’s usually ugly.
Give Bonfim his credit: this was a great win, and he’s undoubtedly on the rise.
A Jiu-Jitsu Masterclass
Though the UFC Vegas 111 co-main event was a collision of black belts in Joseph Morales and Matt Schnell, it was “Bopo” who quickly proved himself the sharper grappler. Schnell initiated the ground-fighting early with a clinch takedown but immediately found himself in x-guard, getting elevated and swept in quick fashion. Once on top, Morales used a kimura threat to expertly transition into the crucifix. Schnell tried to escape and landed directly into a guillotine choke, a move I can tell you firsthand is Morales’ nastiest hold.
The tap came quickly.
It’s been a hell of a year for Morales, who won two fights on The Ultimate Fighter (TUF), won the finale via finish, and now just rolled over Schnell. It’s easy to forget that Morales was a hot prospect back when he first signed to the UFC in 2017, but all these years later, the 31-year-old standout is living up to the hype.
The Doctor Will See You Now
Uros Medic is a violent, violent man. He starts every fight in an aggressive sprint regardless of opponent, and there was some concern that the veteran Muslim Salikhov would punish that reckless attack. Instead, Medic connected on a long Southpaw straight inside the opening minute, and Salikhov hit the floor in a daze. A few well-timed follow-up shots sealed the deal, scoring Medic his third knockout victory in four fights.
Is Medic a future contender? Probably not. Still, the 32-year-old slugger is must-watch entertainment, a welcome addition to any fight card.
CLD 2.0
Christian Leroy Duncan has leveled up in his last two performances. After smoking Eryk Anders last time out, he returned to the Octagon against highly-touted prospect Marco Tulio and delivered yet another spectacular knockout win.
There’s clearly been a shift in the English striker’s confidence. He entered the cage determined that Tulio would not bully him, setting a high pace and attacking right away. Tulio tried to wrestle, but “CLD” demonstrated improved takedown defense and general comfort in clinch wrestling. As a result, he was able to land his own heavy strikes in close quarters, notably a spinning elbow in the first.
Tulio worked his way into the fight, but Duncan was the more damaging fighter. He struck at distance, in the pocket, and in the clinch, continually landing hard shots that took wind from the Brazilian’s sail. His efforts culminated in a beautiful spinning backfist that stunned Tulio, leaving him vulnerable to powerful follow-up punches that officially ended the contest.
At 3o years of age, Duncan is gaining momentum and skill at an impressive rate. He should either be ranked or booked against a ranked opponent next, because he’s come a long way since the 2024 loss to Gregory Rodrigues.
Bantamweight’s Night Of 1000 Uppercuts
Raoni Barcelos vs. Ricky Simon was great fun.
The two Bantamweights threw down toe-to-toe for the majority of 15 minutes at a really high pace. There were a handful of takedown attempts from both men and some good resulting scrambles, but primarily, this was a boxing match in very tiny gloves. Both strikers were unusually willing to stand their ground, slip their head, and fire back, which made for a really cool scrap.
On the whole, Barcelos was consistently the sharper striker. He worked up-and-down the body with his jab well, mixed calf kicks and intercepting knees into his boxing on occasion, and timed his right hand countless times. Simon found some success with his own spearing jabs, but he walked into too many hard counters to ever really pull momentum into his corner.
An interesting smaller detail here was the amount of uppercuts thrown. Barcelos played the overhand/uppercut double threat really well, convincing Simon that another cross counter was coming over his jab when in fact he was slipping and coming back with the uppercut beautifully. Simon, conversely, was throwing uppercuts off the front foot, particularly when Barcelos’ back hit the fence, as he tried to time his opponent ducking.
A New Heavyweight Prospect
I don’t think much of his Colby Covington-esque persona, but Josh Hokit is clearly a very gifted prospect.
In addition to being an All-American wrestler, Hokit is fluid on the feet. His bout versus Max Gimenis didn’t last all that long, but there was an immediate difference in hand speed and general boxing between the two. Sure, Hokit took a hard low kick to start the fight, but once he stepped to his opponent with more than one punch, the outcome felt like a guarantee; he was just so much faster than his Brazilian opponent.
Wrestling credentials, some boxing skill, quality athleticism — in the Heavyweight division, he’s practically a contender already!
Additional Thoughts
- Chris Padilla defeats Ismael Bonfim via second-round knockout (highlights): Padilla and his improved Muay Thai really impressed me here. Against a man who missed weight terribly, Padilla proved himself a composed and cerebral athlete in the face of Bonfim’s massive swings. He was staring down the barrel of some serious power punches, yet Padilla was able to calmly keep his guard high and block the worst of the shots. He methodically walked Bonfim down, attacking his lead leg with chopping kicks and always keeping him honest with intercepting elbows. His pressure broke Bonfim, and Padilla imposed his cardio edge ruthlessly with nasty clinch work. Now 4-0 in the UFC, it’s time to start taking him more seriously as a possible ranked Lightweight.
- Daniel Marcos defeats Miles Johns via second-round rear naked choke (highlights): Johns is a strong Bantamweight with quality wrestling, but he looked really limited here. He spent too much time loading up on powerful swings, allowing his opponent easy access to his hips. For his part, Marcos was the sharper kickboxer in addition to the better ground fighter. He was touching up Johns before taking the fight to the canvas, where he was quickly able to jump the back and lock in the submission finish. It’s a quality rebound win for Marcos, who suffered his first-ever professional defeat last time out opposite Montel Jackson.
- Zachary Reese defeats Jackson McVey via second-round rear naked choke (highlights): Reese stepped up for this matchup with just a few days to prepare, and his gamble paid off! That’s not to say it was an easy victory. The two traded hard elbows from the phone booth early in the fight, which resulted in a nasty cut on Reese. He took some hard shots in the first, but switching up the approach with a takedown in round two was the correct move. In top position, he was able to complete the comeback by advancing into back control and wrapping up the strangle — a good scrap!
For complete UFC Vegas 111 results and play-by-play, click here.
