UFC Vegas 105 is upon us. On the night of the Final Four in San Antonio, not everybody will be paying attention to a basketball game. For those of you who had your brackets busted a long while ago, MMA is here to give you alternative entertainment.
This week, MMA’s top promotion returns to the United States after a trip to Mexico City last Saturday evening. The UFC Apex facility in Enterprise, NV serves as the host setting for the first UFC Fight Night this month.
Live coverage of UFC Vegas 105 begins Saturday evening at 6 pm ET/ 3 pm PT on ESPN (linear television) and ESPN+ (streaming) with the prelims. Main card action, our focus here today, follows at 9 pm ET/ 6 pm PT on the same platforms. If there are no adjustments to the bout order, a 13-fight card will be on the schedule for Saturday night in Sin City.
UFC Vegas 105 Main Event: No. 8 Contender Josh Emmett vs. No. 10 Contender Lerone Murphy
At the top of the bill on Saturday night is a battle in the featherweight division, and it’s also the lone all-ranked matchup of the evening. No. 8 contender Josh Emmett (19-4 MMA, 10-4 UFC) locks horns with No. 10 contender Lerone Murphy (15-0-1 MMA, 7-0-1 UFC). This fight will be an advertised maximum of five rounds at five minutes per round to close out the show.
Josh Emmett enters UFC Vegas 105 having posted a mark of 3-2 in his last five fights. Last time out, he got his hand raised in victory after a first-round knockout by way of an overhand right against Bryce Mitchell (17-2 MMA, 8-2 UFC) in December of 2023.
He’s been away from the cage for more than a year. How much ring rust does Josh Emmett have going into this one?
Across the way, Lerone Murphy has gone 5-0 in his last five fights as part of a 16-fight unbeaten streak to begin his professional career. Most recently, he bested Dan Ige (18-9 MMA, 10-8 UFC) after three rounds during UFC 308 last October during the main card on pay-per-view.
This was his third consecutive victory by way of unanimous decision. Murphy has proven to be a force to be reckoned with throughout his UFC tenure and he has a spot in the top 10 at 145 lbs to show for it.
If he stays the course with a victory in the UFC Vegas 105 main event this Saturday night, he’ll find himself in the featherweight championship picture to show for it. Murphy has to take it one fight at a time, one round at a time. It starts this weekend.
UFC Vegas 105 Co-Main Event: Pat Sabatini vs. Joanderson Brito
Immediately beforehand, another featherweight tussle takes place during the co-main event of the evening. Pat Sabatini (19-5 MMA, 6-2 UFC) will be making his 25th walk to the cage as a professional when he takes on Joanderson Brito (17-4-1 MMA, 5-2 UFC).
This will be a three-round affair at five minutes per round. Pat Sabatini comes into the weekend sporting a record of 3-2 in his last five MMA fights. Back in October of last year, he made the trek to the Apex in Enterprise for a fight versus Jonathan Pearce (14-7 MMA, 5-4 UFC.)
While Sabatini hasn’t competed in an MMA fight since October, he’s kept himself busy in the intervening months, having fought in Fury Pro Grappling, the sister promotion of CFFC, in November and December, securing a straight ankle lock submission against Peter Fazekas during the holiday season.
He’s done well in the UFC up to now, but can he secure his seventh win on Saturday? Only time will tell if this is the case.
Meanwhile, Joanderson Brito enters UFC Vegas 105 with a mark of 4-1 over the past five contests. His five-fight winning streak was snapped in his last appearance thanks to a split decision in favor of William Gomis (14-3 MMA, 4-1 UFC) during UFC Paris in September.
Much like his opponent on the opposite side of the cage, Brito is having a decent run in the promotion. Whose stock will be on the rise after UFC Vegas 105?
UFC Vegas 105: Cortavious Romious vs. Chang Ho Lee
Also on the UFC Vegas 105 main card, you’ll see a bantamweight contest matching Cortavious Romious (9-3 MMA, 0-1 UFC) against Chang Ho Lee (10-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC.) Romious will be making the walk to the Octagon for the second time on Saturday evening having gone 3-2 in his last five bouts.
He’s hopeful that his sophomore appearance in the promotion is much better than his freshman contest. Back in November, he saw his UFC debut end in a losing effort, dropping a unanimous decision to Gaston Bolanos (8-4 MMA, 2-1 UFC) in UFC Vegas 100 at the selfsame UFC Apex where UFC Vegas 105 is being held.
Although Romious’ UFC tenure is in its early days, he can’t afford to get behind the eight-ball so soon after joining the active roster last fall. Can he score his first win in the promotion this weekend?
In the other corner, Chang Ho Lee will be making his second walk to the Octagon this Saturday evening. Unlike Romious, however, he had a successful maiden voyage in the promotion with a split decision victory over Long Xiao (27-9 MMA, 1-1 UFC) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia last June on ABC.
This was the third booking of these fighters, with the previous two scheduled fights being postponed without a punch being thrown. Lee is a young man who worked close to seven years to get to the UFC. Now that he’s there, he’ll be hoping to have a successful sophomore effort in the cage on Saturday.
