UFC Vegas 101 looms this Saturday night. After a restful break for the festive season, MMA‘s top promotion, the UFC, is back in action these next two weekends. While most sports fans will be paying attention to Wild Card Saturday in the NFL Playoffs, Enterprise, NV is the focus of attention in the combat sports world for UFC Vegas 101 at the UFC Apex.
Live coverage of UFC Vegas 101 can be seen wall-to-wall inside the United States on ESPN+ beginning with the undercard at 4 pm ET/ 1 pm PT Saturday afternoon. Main card action immediately follows at 7 pm ET/ 4 pm PT on the Disney-owned subscription-based streamer.
ESPN+ coverage of Saturday’s card can also be seen over Disney+ for subscribers who have purchased the Disney Bundle. All told, the final version of UFC Vegas 101 features a slate of 14 bouts. Although the main card of the evening is highlighted by a strawweight rematch pitting Mackenzie Dern (14-5 MMA, 9-5 UFC) against Amanda Ribas (13-5 MMA, 7-4 UFC) in the headlining affair, there are a few fights on this week’s undercard that you can’t sleep on.
Featured UFC Vegas 101 Prelim: Jose Johnson vs. Felipe Bunes
At the top of the bill for the UFC Vegas 101 preliminary bouts, action takes place in the flyweight ranks for a contest pairing Jose Johnson (16-9 MMA, 1-2 UFC) with Felipe Bunes (13-7, 0-1 UFC), an alumnus of the LFA.
Felipe Bunes is the NEW @LFAFighting flyweight champ! #LFA149 pic.twitter.com/0rHqBf6UZJ
— UFC FIGHT PASS (@UFCFightPass) January 7, 2023
Jose Johnson enters this weekend’s card having posted a mark of 3-2 over the course of his last five MMA fights, but has hit a bit of a snag since joining the UFC’s promotional roster in 2022 by way of Contender Series. Upon a pair of canceled bouts, Johnson finally made his UFC promotional debut in August of 2023, losing (first-round submission: twister) against Da’Mon Blackshear (15-7-1 MMA, 3-3-1 UFC).
He’s only scored one victory since joining Dana White‘s promotion a few summers ago, a third-round submission by way of rear-naked choke versus Chad Anheliger (13-8 MMA, 2-3 UFC) in November of 2023. Will he get back in the win column by the time the weekend rolls around?
Across the way in the UFC Vegas 101 featured prelim, Felipe Bunes enters Saturday night on a 3-2 record in his last five contests. The onetime LFA Flyweight Champion took a defeat in his UFC promotional debut a year ago at this time, surrendering a second-round knockout (ground and pound strikes) at the hands of Joshua Van (12-2 MMA, 5-1 UFC) during UFC Vegas 84 on Jan. 13, 2024. Only time will tell if Bunes can score his first UFC victory on Saturday night.
UFC Vegas 101 Co-Featured Prelim: Marco Tulio vs. Ihor Potieria
Immediately beforehand, the co-featured prelim of UFC Vegas 101 shifts to the middleweight ranks for a contest between Marco Tulio (12-1 MMA, UFC promotional debut) and Ihor Potieria (21-7 MMA, 2-5 UFC.) Tulio enters the UFC having gone 5-0 in his last five contests, including two stints on Contender Series.
The second time was the charm for Marco Tulio, who cashed in with a second-round knockout by way of spinning back kick followed by punches) on Aug. 27 of last year versus Matthieu Duclos. All told, he’s won seven bouts in succession dating back to July 10, 2021. Will he improve impressive again at the Apex?
In the other corner, Ihor Potieria enters this weekend’s card on a 1-4 clip over his last five fights and has only scored two victories in the UFC since joining the promotion in 2022. If Potieria is to remain under contract with the UFC, he has to go on a winning streak and it has to start now.
UFC Vegas 101: Thiago Moises vs. Trey Ogden
Also on the UFC Vegas 101 prelims is a lightweight bout between 26-fight veteran Thiago Moises (18-8 MMA, 7-6 UFC) and 24-fight vet Trey Ogden (18-6, 1 NC MMA, 3-2, 1 NC UFC). Moises enters the card having posted a 3-2 record over the course of his last five fights.
Back in June of 2024, however, he suffered a unanimous decision defeat at the hands of L’udovit Klein (23-4-1 MMA, 7-2-1 UFC) in UFC Louisville at KFC Yum Center after three rounds. Klein returned to action this past September in Paris, winning by unanimous decision over Roosevelt Roberts (12-5, 1 NC MMA, 4-5, 1 NC UFC).
Meanwhile, Trey Ogden, a 2018 graduate of Dana White’s Contender Series, has posted a 3-1 record with one no-contest in his past five contests. Currently, he’s on a three-fight unbeaten streak with two consecutive wins.
Most recently, he bested Loik Radzhabov (18-6-1 MMA, 2-2 UFC) via unanimous decision after 15 minutes of action during the July 20 UFC Vegas 94 at the Apex facility. If Ogden’s winning ways continue, he may find himself having secured a permanent spot on the main card of UFC events going forward.
Final Thoughts
Which prelims are you looking forward to when UFC Vegas 101 happens on Saturday night? Let us know in the comments and enjoy the show.
