UFC Vegas 111 on Saturday was another APEX card, this time, featuring just 12 bouts. It was a rare Fight Night main card with just five fights too, with the card featuring no currently ranked fighters. This card also kept the streak going of not having a Fight of the Night. In the main event, Randy Brown was flatlined by Gabriel Bonfim in just two rounds. In the co-main event, Joseph Morales, took less than two minutes to submit UFC vet, Matt Schnell with a guillotine choke. Some tenured fighters with checkered records grace this edition of losers.
Randy Brown
Gabriel Bonfim slumped Randy Brown with a nasty knee to end the UFC Vegas 111 main event in the second round on Saturday. The finish earned Bonfim a performance bonus (though some cried foul) and brings Brown to a 14-7, .500 record, with the UFC. Randy is 1-2 in his last three fights.
Randy’s next fight should be against Andreas Gustafsson. Andreas is just 1-1 with the UFC but has already shown a lot in the octagon. Gustafsson defeated Khaos Willams via unanimous decision in his debut back in June. Rinat Fakhretdinov took less than 60 seconds to stop Andreas back in September. Rinat actually was supposed to take on Gabriel Bonfim earlier this year before withdrawing. Both fighters suffered rough stoppages within a few months of each other and though the timing isn’t optimal, it could definitely work (even if Andreas potentially gets a fight in before the matchup). This would be a good next fight for Brown to get another shot against a decent prospect.
Brown’s next fight: Andreas Gustafsson
Matt Schnell
Joseph Morales snapped up a guillotine to submit Matt Schnell early in the fight in the co main event of UFC Vegas 111. Rough outcome for Schnell as he is now 7-8, 1 NC with the UFC. Schnell essentially saved his spot on the roster back in April with his win over Jimmy Flick, prior to that- Schnell had lost three in a row.
Matt’s next fight should be against Alessandro Costa. Alessandro is a 2022 Contender Series product that has gone 2-3 with the promotion since. Both of his victories have been finishes and performance bonus earning as he’s a high action kill or be killed type of fighter. Costa was last in the cage back in September when he was finished in the final round of his fight with Aiden Coria via strikes.
Schnell and Costa were actually scheduled to fight last September but Costa withdrew from the bout. Matt is now 1-1 while Alessandro is 0-1 since the fight fell through. The matchup should be revisited since it still makes sense and would be a guaranteed banger- though both men aren’t doing so hot with the UFC currently.
Schnell’s next fight: Alessandro Costa
Muslim Salikhov
Uros Medic won a shootout against Muslim Salikhov on Saturday, finding the 41-year-old’s chin and stopping the fight in 63 seconds. The loss snapped a three-fight win streak for Muslim who is now 9-5 with the promotion. Muslim had even earned two performance bonuses during that three-fight win streak.
Khaos Williams would be an excellent next opponent for Muslim to take on. Salikhov is at the do or die point of his career. Gving him matchups such as Uros or Khaos isn’t too much for the “King of Kung Fu” to handle. Khaos is 6-4 within the UFC and is currently on a two-fight losing skid. Williams last fought in June when he dropped a unanimous decision to Andreas Gustafsson. The timing for this matchup, wouldn’t be the greatest, unfortunately. But Khaos shares opponents with Muslim and was supposed to take on Uros Medic himself earlier this year. These two are right in the same wheelhouse and both are extremely dangerous strikers with different styles and weapons.
Salikhov’s next fight: Khaos Williams
Ismael Bonfim
Chris Padilla slowly wore down and beat up Ismael Bonfim before eventually scoring the finish late in round two. With the loss, Ismael falls to 2-3 with the UFC. To add insult to injury, Bonfim missed weight ahead of the bout- by 5lbs., it’s the second time he’s missed weight with the promotion.
Ismael is in a tough spot as he’s dangerously close to falling into the territory of being kept on the UFC roster just to stay in good graces with the other Bonfim brother. Ismael needs to make weight as a jump to welterweight might not be feasible either. Good next fight for Bonfim would be against Bolaji Oki. Bolaji was last in action back in September when he was finished in the second round of his bout against Mason Jones. The 2023 Contender Series veteran is 2-2 with the UFC and has had a similar career to Bonfim, albeit without the weight cutting issues. This would be a solid matchup that’s winnable for Bonfim as long as the weight cut goes well.
Bonfim’s next fight: Bolaji Oki
Marco Tulio
Christian Leroy Duncan put on a masterful striking display before finishing Marco Tulio with a spinning backfist and a follow-up barrage to open the main card of UFC Vegas 111. The finish earned CLD a performance bonus as he handed Tulio just the second loss of his career and his first within the UFC.
Tulio’s next fight should be against Michel Pereira. Despite the outcome on Saturday, Marco remains a bright prospect. Revisiting his cancelled fight from August against Michel- a solid opponent, for a potential back-and-forth slug fest. Pereira is 9-5 with the UFC and has lost his last three, most recently to Kyle Daukus back in August. He’s high-octane thrill, wide open at all times and Tulio would provide an excellent matchup. Not to mention, Pereira has seen some ranked fighters and been ranked himself, solid fight to keep Marco in the mix and against good competition.
Tulio’s next fight: Michel Pereira
