MMASucka Staff Picks UFC Vegas 111: Skilled Welterweight Contenders Duke It Out

For a second consecutive week, top-level mixed martial arts makes its home at the Apex for UFC Vegas 111. In the main event, welterweight standouts Gabriel Bonfim and Randy Brown tango in a thrilling striking matchup. In the penultimate bout of the night, Ultimate Fighter alum Matt Schnell and Joseph Morales face off in what is shaping up to be an exciting flyweight clash. We break down the UFC Vegas 111 card and give you our staff picks!

UFC Vegas 111 Main Event

Along with his older brother, Ismael, Bonfim has enjoyed a meteoric rise in the UFC since they both made their company debuts on the same card two years ago. In the time since then, “Marretinha” has developed into a surging force at 170-lb, racking up a 5-1 record in the organization with wins over Trevin Giles, Khaos Williams and Stephen Thompson.

Rebounding in a big way his last time out with a highlight-reel knockout over Nicolas Dalby, Brown is now back in the winner’s circle after a disappointing defeat to Bryan Battle last year. Eager to make his way back into the rankings, “Rude Boy” will look to halt the momentum of his streaking Brazilian opponent to prove that he is one of the best welterweights on the planet.

UFC Vegas 111 Co-Main Event

Fighting under the UFC banner since 2016, Schnell has traded blows with a handful of flyweight greats in his day, including Steve Erceg, Brandon Royval and Alexandre Pantoja. Ending a three-bout losing streak last April with a victory over Jimmy Flick, “Danger” enters the Octagon for the 14th time in his career.

Making his way back to the promotion after seven years away, Morales announced himself as a 125-lb competitor to watch out for when he submitted heavy favorite Alibi Idiris to win The Ultimate Fighter 33 championship. Now with the UFC title as his next great goal, “Bopo” will look to kickstart a dominant warpath towards the top of the summit at flyweight.

More Bouts On the UFC Vegas 111 Main Card

Rounding out the main card, Russian veteran Muslim Salikhov battles Uroš Medić. Then, Chris Padilla collides with Ismael Bonfim. Also, Ricky Simón locks horns with Raoni Barcelos in a potential Fight of the Night contender. Finally, Christian Leroy Duncan meets Marco Tulio to kick off the post-preliminary festivities at UFC Vegas 111.

UFC Vegas 111 Predictions and Staff Picks

MMASucka staff picks are composed of four of the world’s leading mixed martial arts organizations: the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), the Professional Fighters League (PFL), ONE Championship (ONE FC), and Dana White’s Contender Series (DWCS).

  • UFC picks will include main card fights ranging from four to six matchups per event.
  • PFL picks from main cards for pay-per-views and from tournament fights in the Regular Season, Playoffs, and Finals.
  • ONE FC and DWCS picks will feature all MMA fights from the event with a minimum of three matchups.

The individual who picks the most victorious fighters by the end of 2025 will have a choice between receiving a custom-made championship belt from ProAmBelts or a detailed chain from Championship Chains. Staff picks in 2023 were won by Ben Jamieson with a record of 300-148.

Find our UFC Vegas 111 picks and fight odds below.

Staff records after UFC Fight Night 263:

  1. Hank Strandberg: 185-107
  2. Frazer Krohn: 151-103
  3. Drew Zuhosky: 148-142
  4. Jeremy Brand: 131-90
  5. Andrew Benjamin: 32-90

*Note – not all staff pick for every event*

 


Marco Tulio -175

     Vs.

Christian Leroy Duncan +150

      MIDDLEWEIGHT

 

Jeremy Brand: Leroy Duncan by Unanimous Decisioon
Hank Strandberg: Tulio by Second Round Knockout
Drew Zuhosky: Leroy Duncan by Unanimous Decision
Frazer Krohn: Leroy Duncan by Third Round Knockout

Staff picking Tulio: 1

Staff picking Leroy Duncan: 3


Ricky Simón -175

Vs.

Raoni Barcelos +150

   BANTAMWEIGHT

 

Jeremy Brand: Simon by Second Round Knockout
Hank Strandberg: Barcelos by Unanimous Decision
Drew Zuhosky: Simón by First Round Knockout
Frazer Krohn: Simón by Unanimous Decision

 

Staff picking Simón: 3

Staff picking Barcelos: 1


Ismael Bonfim -205

     Vs.

Chris Padilla +175

            LIGHTWEIGHT

 

Jeremy Brand: Bonfim by Unanimous Decision
Hank Strandberg: Bonfim by Unanimous Decision
Drew Zuhosky: Bonfim by Unanimous Decision
Frazer Krohn: Bonfim by Unanimous Decision

Staff picking Bonfim: 4

Staff picking Padilla: 0


Uros Medic -154

Vs.

Muslim Salikhov +134

               WELTERWEIGHT

 

Jeremy Brand: Medic by Second Round Submission
Hank Strandberg: Medic by First Round Knockout
Drew Zuhosky: Medic by Unanimous Decision
Frazer Kron: Salikhov by Second Round Knockout

 

Staff picking Medic: 3

Staff picking Salikhov: 1 


Joseph Morales -455

     Vs.

Matt Schnell +355

            FLYWEIGHT

 

Jeremy Brand: Morales by Unanimous Decision
Hank Strandberg: Morales by First Round Knockout
Drew Zuhosky: Morales by Unanimous Decision
Frazer Krohn: Schnell by Unanimous Decision

Staff picking Morales: 3

Staff picking Schnell: 1


Gabriel Bonfim -178

Vs.

Randy Brown +153

             WELTERWEIGHT

 

Jeremy Brand: Bonfim by Unanimous Decision
Hank Strandberg: Bonfim by Second Round Submission
Drew Zuhosky: Brown by Unanimous Decision
Frazer Kron: Brown by Fourth Round Knockout

Staff picking Bonfim: 2

Staff picking Brown: 2

Hank Strandberg
Hank Strandberg
Hank has been a professional writer since 2022. He has covered MMA extensively as well as major eSports tournaments. He is a Hamline University graduate with a Bachelors in Fine Arts in Creative Writing and as a member of Phi Betta Kappa.

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