The main card UFC Vegas 111 served up a full house of finishes, with all five winners getting the job done inside the distance on an entertaining night at the UFC APEX in Sin City.
UFC Vegas 111 Power Rankings
RDX Sports‘ Editor-in-Chief and veteran MMA writer Simon Head casts his eye over the main card winners, and presents his Power Rankings for UFC Vegas 111.
1. Christian Leroy Duncan
The former Cage Warriors middleweight champion has been steadily sharpening his skills on the world stage following his ascent to the UFC, and now he looks on the verge of a breakthrough.
Duncan has always been a spectacular striker, but over the last couple of years he’s really leveled up his defensive wrestling and clinch work against the fence as he’s worked hard to create more opportunities for his bread and butter – his striking.
And the latest iteration of “CLD” showed the latest stage in his evolution as he dealt with everything Marco Tulio could throw at him, then finished him in stunning fashion with a spinning backfist, followed by a massive right hand as he once again served warning that standing in front of “CLD” in a set of MMA gloves is a bad idea.
Duncan is making all the right moves, and it might not be long before he’s knocking on the door of the middleweight top 15.
2. Joseph Morales
Joseph Morales produced another impressive display to defeat former ranked contender Matt Schnell and put himself in the frame to face ranked opposition next time out.
Morales needed just two minutes, 54 seconds to finish Schnell via guillotine choke as he continued his winning return to the Octagon after his previous three-fight stint back in 2017-2018.
Morales went 1-2 inside the Octagon in that run, but now he’s 2-0 since his return, with both wins coming by submission. And if he can continue to produce performances like the one he turned in on Saturday, Morales will be making a beeline towards the division’s elite.
3. Gabriel Bonfim
Some have questioned the manner of the stoppage that gave Gabriel Bonfim a second-round TKO victory over Randy Brown, but ultimately the decision made by referee Mark Smith to step in and wave off the fight should have no bearing on how Bonfim’s performance should be viewed.
Bonfim fought smartly and showed excellent fight IQ as he stayed largely out of danger, while gauging Brown’s timing, before stepping in and landing power shots to establish his arsenal during a cat-and-mouse first round.
By Round 2, Bonfim had set his sights, and was landing good shots. And when he connected with a huge knee that landed flush on Brown’s chin as he dipped to change levels, “Rudeboy” was sent flying backwards and down to the canvas.
It looked like Brown was out, and only woken up by hitting the canvas. Ref Smith dived in and waved it off, and Bonfim claimed an impressive second-round win. Brown’s instant protests suggest he could have continued, but the knee looked to have flash-knocked-out the Jamaican, so the win seemed fair enough.
Bonfim was already in the UFC’s official welterweight rankings, and should be due a bout against someone higher ranked. But with the division looking jam-packed right now, finding the right opponent could be a tricky job for the UFC matchmakers.
4. Chris Padilla
It’s time people stopped sleeping on Chris “Taco” Padilla.
The 30-year-old is four fights into his UFC career, and he’s a perfect 4-0 in the Octagon. He’s also covered all the eventualities in his fight outcomes, too, with one submission, one doctor stoppage, one split-decision, and on Saturday night, one ground-and-pound TKO finish.
Against Ismael Bonfim, Padilla used his defense, and his fight IQ, to soak up the best Bonfim could throw at him. Then, perhaps knowing that Bonfim might be hurting as the fight wore on after missing weight by five pounds, Padilla went to work as he hammered Bonfim to the body to sap the gas tank, and to the head as he wore down, then finished his Brazilian opponent.
Padilla is now riding a seven-fight win streak, and has demonstrated that he has the sort of staying power, and the relentless approach, that can give almost any lightweight trouble.
5. Uros Medic
On most other nights, Uros Medic’s performance would have placed him higher up a Power Rankings list, but on a fight full of finishes, he sits in fifth on our list this week.
The fight itself was over almost before it had begun, but that was all down to Medic’s razor-sharp work as he established his range early, then dropped Muslim Salikhov hard with a ramrod straight left.
It gave Medic an impressive finish to see him round out 2025 with a 2-1 record for the year, and take him into 2026 on a two-fight win streak, with both fights producing finishes.
Simon Head is Editor-in-Chief with renowned combat sports equipment company RDX Sports.
