UFC Vegas 111 fight week is here. There are only five events remaining on the 2025 schedule, two of which happen at the UFC Apex facility in Enterprise, NV. Saturday’s card is the penultimate stop at the Apex this year.
If you’re going to be watching the event from inside the United States (and we won’t be able to say this for too much longer,) live coverage of the card is exclusive to ESPN+. Action begins Saturday afternoon at 4 pm ET/ 1 pm PT with the prelims.
Main card fights follow at 7 pm ET/ 4 pm PT on the Disney-owned subscription-based streaming service. Barring any late changes made to this weekend’s itinerary between now and fight night, Saturday’s itinerary at UFC Vegas 111 features a slate of 12 fights from the world’s top MMA promotion.
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UFC Vegas 111 Featured Prelim: Hyder Amil vs. Jamall Emmers
At the top of the prelims on Saturday night, the featherweights take to the fabled Octagon when Hyder Amil (11-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) meets Jamall Emmers (21-8 MMA, 4-4 UFC.) All fights mentioned herein are an advertised maximum of three rounds at five minutes per round.
Hyder Amil comes into the fight this weekend with a mark of 4-1 over the course of his past five fights since his contract-winning performance on Contender Series in the summer of 2023. He saw his 11-fight winning streak to begin his professional career get snapped back on June 28 at the hands of Jose Delgado (10-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC) in just 26 seconds by knockout.
This is his third walk to the cage in 2025. Will he rebound from the June defeat over the upcoming weekend?
Across the way, Jamall Emmers will be making the walk on Saturday night in UFC Vegas 111’s featured prelim having posted a record of 3-2 in his last five fights dating back to February of 2023. Last time out, he finished Gabriel Miranda (17-8 MMA, 1-3 UFC) inside the opening round in March from Mexico City.
Emmers wasn’t always booked to meet Hyder Amil on Saturday night in UFC Vegas 111, however. Initially, his adversary on Saturday night was Austin Bashi (14-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) before the latter had to bow out due to sustaining an injury.
How has the switch in opponent affected Emmers’ gameplan for Saturday evening? Only time will tell.
UFC Vegas 111 Co-Featured Prelim: Ricky Simon vs. Raoni Barcelos
Immediately beforehand, the co-featured prelim of the evening matches Ricky Simon (22-6 MMA, 10-5 UFC) against Raoni Barcelos (20-5 MMA, 9-4 UFC) at bantamweight. Initially, the UFC Vegas 111 co-featured prelim spot on Saturday was to have been reserved for a bantamweight contest between Adrian Yanez (17-6 MMA, 6-3 UFC) and Cristian Quinonez (18-5 MMA, 1-2 UFC.) This fight was scrubbed earlier this week after Quinonez was forced out amid visa issues.
Simon has posted a 2-3 record in his last five fights, but he’s been on an upswing of late, having won two in a row. On June 14, he scored a unanimous decision victory over Cameron Smotherman.
The question heading into the new co-featured prelim this weekend is a simple one: Which version of Ricky Simon will show up on Saturday?
As far as Raoni Barcelos is concerned, he’s got a 3-2 record in his last fight. Going into this restructured co-featured prelim, he’s won three in a row.
During UFC Atlanta on June 14, he outpaced Cody Garbrandt with a unanimous decision after three rounds of action. While the placement on the card of this fight may have changed from a main card fixture to the prelims, the drama of the fight is still there. Which fighter leaves Vegas with his winning streak still intact?
UFC Vegas 111: No. 10 Contender Mayra Bueno Silva vs. No. 11 Contender Jaqueline Cavalcanti
Earlier on the UFC Vegas 111 undercard, action takes place at women’s bantamweight. No. 10 contender Mayra Bueno Silva (10-5-1, 1 NC MMA, 5-5-1, 1 NC UFC) collides with No. 11 contender Jaqueline Cavalcanti (9-1 MMA, 4-0 UFC.) The former touches down in Nevada with a 1-3 record with one no-contest in her last five bouts.
At the moment, she’s on a four-bout winless streak after having her 2023 submission victory against Holly Holm (15-7, 1 NC MMA, 8-7, 1 NC UFC) retroactively overturned to a no-contest after she tested positive for Ritalinic acid and has lost three bouts in a row. Most recently, she dropped a unanimous decision to Jasmine Jasudavicius (14-4 MMA, 8-3 UFC) on Feb. 1 during UFC Riyadh.
Mayra Bueno Silva is entering must-win territory on Saturday night. Another defeat in UFC Vegas 111 would make it four in succession. This is a critical 15 minutes or less of action for the Bueno Silva camp.
Meanwhile, Jacqueline Cavalcanti comes into Saturday’s bout having posted a perfect 5-0 record in her last five contests. Presently, she’s won seven fights in a row.
Back on Feb. 15, she outlasted Julia Avila (9-4 MMA, 3-3 UFC) by way of unanimous decision inside the very same UFC Apex facility where this weekend’s show will be taking place.
At the core, this is a story of two fighters going in opposite directions. Cavalcanti is on a hot streak right now and a victory here would do wonders for her resume.
UFC Vegas 111: Josh Hokit vs. Max Gimenis
Also on Saturday’s undercard, the heavyweights do battle when 2025 Contender Series graduate Josh Hokit (6-0 MMA, UFC promotional debut) makes his first walk in the promotion against Max Gimenis (6-1 MMA, UFC promotional debut,) an alumnus of Shogun Fights.
Hokit has yet to lose as a professional. On Aug. 19, he trekked to the UFC Apex to secure his promotional contract by way of second-round knockout due to elbows in a minute and six seconds’ time versus Guilherme Uriel during DWCS 78 on ESPN+.
While Saturday’s fight is Hokit’s UFC debut, it’s by no means his first contest in major MMA. Prior to a stint in the LFA, he posted a 2-0 record under the Bellator promotional banner between 2023 and 2024. He’s had a taste of success on the big stage, but now that he’s got a UFC deal to his credit, will he make a good first impression?
In the other corner, Max Gimenis is sporting a 4-1 record in his last five fights under MMA rules. On March 29, he scored a first-round knockout over Diego Peclat (7-9-1 MMA) in Shogun Fights 30.
This, too, is Gimenis’ first fight under the banner, but a win during UFC Vegas 111 on Saturday night would make for an impressive bullet point on his resume. Will he knock Hokit from the undefeated ranks? Tune in and find out.
Rest of the Prelims
UFC Vegas 111’s undercard is rounded out by these contests:
- A strawweight contest between No. 13 contender Tecia Pennington (15-7 MMA, 11-7 UFC) and No. 15 contender Denise Gomes (11-3 MMA, 5-2 UFC,)
- a bantamweight affair matching Miles Johns (15-4 MMA, 6-4 UFC) with Daniel Marcos (17-1, 1 NC MMA, 4-1, 1 NC UFC,)
- and a contracted catchweight (195 lbs) pairing Jackson McVey (6-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) against Zach Reese (9-2, 1 NC MMA, 3-2, 1 NC UFC.) A planned Jackson McVey vs. Donte Johnson contest was scrubbed after Johnson wasn’t medically authorized to fight. Had Johnson been able to make the walk, he’d have competed for the second straight weekend.
Which fight are you looking forward to on the prelims? Let us know in the comments.
