UFC Vegas 106 start time, full fight card details | Burns vs. Morales

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is back stateside as UFC Vegas 106 is set to go down inside UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada later TONIGHT (Sat., May 17, 2025). Headlining the ESPN+-streamed event will be a Welterweight fight between Gilbert Burns vs. Michael Morales. In the co-featured bout, Light Heavyweight bruisers Paul Craig vs. Rodolfo Bellato will collide.

What’s Hot:

Burns has seen better days. The former one-time UFC Welterweight contender is currently on a horrible three-fight losing streak and is just 3-5 in his last eight fights. Sure, his last three defeats came to former champion, Belal Muhammad, current division kingpin, Jack Della Madalena and No. 1-seeded contender, Sean Brady. Regardless, “Durinho” needs to get back on track, though a title run is likely not in his future since he already has plans to walk away in the not-too distance future. He’s nearing 40 years of age, so he’s definitely slowed down some. That said, he will have to be on his “A” game if he wants to upset one of the hottest rising contenders in the division.

Morales, meanwhile, is currently undefeated (17-0), which includes being perfect (5-0) under UFC’s banner, including three technical knockout victories. The 25-year-old Ecuadorian is another product of Contender Series who has proven to be a legitimate rising threat, and a few more wins could put him in the Top 10 in one of the most stacked divisions in the sport. While a win over Burns today isn’t the same as it would have been several years ago, it would still be a nice notch to have on Morales’ belt. After all, name value is the game and Burns is a long-time veteran with impressive wins under his belt. The lanky fighter has size and length at his advantage, but if he thinks Burns is going to back down from a standup war, he is in for a surprise. We’ve all seen “Durinho” engage is some memorable wars, including his all-timer against Khamzat Chimaev. Morales is younger, faster and has the tools to get the win, but don’t sleep on Burns just yet because the crafty veteran could still have a few tricks left that may surprise everyone.

What’s Not:

Sodiq Yusuff has been out of action for more than one year, and now returns in an effort to snap his two-fight losing streak when he goes toe-to-toe against Mairon Santos, who is currently on a three-fight win streak. Overall, he is 15-1 as a professional, so I have an issue with the pairing. Santos is scorching hot, while Yusuff has seen better days. I would have much rather seen matchmakers pit Santos against someone who is on a win streak himself instead of a slumping veteran.

Original Card vs. Actual Card:

A Heavyweight bout between Curtis Blaydes vs. Rizvan Kuniev was scheduled for this event before it was postponed and moved to the upcoming “Hill vs. Rountree Jr.”-led event on June 28, 2025. Also, a Middleweight bout between Park Jun-yong vs. Ismail Naurdiev was set to go down on this card before it was also rescheduled for next month. Johnny Walker vs. Azamat Murzakanov were set to throw down here before it was moved to UFC 316, as was a fight between Serghei Spivac vs. Shamil Gaziev (now Waldo Cortes-Acosta).

Injuries:

Despite all the changes, none were as a result of an injury.

LIVE! Stream UFC Vegas 106 On ESPN+

WELTERWEIGHT CROSSROADS! Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) returns to is intimate APEX venue in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Sat., May 17, 2025, with UFC Vegas 106. Former 170-pound title challenger, Gilbert Burns, collides with undefeated up-and-coming phenom, Michael Morales, in a blistering main event scheduled for five rounds. In UFC Vegas 106’s co-main event, battle-hardened Paul Craig locks horns with surging Light Heavyweight, Rodolfo Bellato, setting the stage for an explosive showdown in the 205-pound division.

Don’t miss a single second of face-punching action!

New Blood:

Yadier del Valle will make his Octagon debut when he goes up against Connor Matthews. Undefeated (8-0), del Valle is a product of Contender Series, winning his fight on the show against Antonio Monteiro to earn a contract. Now, he will attempt to start his career off on the right foot when he battles Matthews, who is in desperate need of a win after losing his last two bouts.

Matheus Camilo brings a six-fight win streak to his UFC debut when locks horns with Gabe Green. The 24-year-old Brazilian has four knockouts and two submissions, so he has a pretty well-rounded arsenal that gives him the confidence to win the fight anywhere. As for Green, he is coming in on a two-year layoff and having lost his last two fights. Granted, those defeats were against Ian Machado Garry and Bryan Battle.

How The ‘Prelims’ Look:

Jared Gordon hasn’t stepped foot inside the Octagon in a year, and will look to get back in the win column after losing to Nasrat Haqparast in June 2024. He is paired up against Thiago Moises, who is coming off a win over Trey Ogden from earlier this year.

Tainara Lisboa has impressed so far in her young UFC career, going 2-0, which includes a stoppage win over Jessica-Rose Clark, improving her win streak to five in a row. She will attempt to keep her hot streak going when she battles Luana Santos, who is trying to get back on track after she had her own five-fight win streak snapped by Casey O’Neill.

In women’s Strawweight action, Elise Reed and Denis Gomes will do battle in a fight between two contenders trying to get into the ranking conversation. Neither Gomes nor Reed have ever done much to get a spot in the Top 15, but a win here will go a long way in making that happen. Gomes is a pretty impressive 4-2 under UFC’s banner, while Reed has alternated losses throughout her first eight fights inside the Octagon.

Undefeated (9-0, 2-0 UFC) sensation, Hyun Sung Park, will attempt to remain perfect when he battles Carlos Hernandez in a Flyweight affair. Hernandez recently got back on the winning track by defeating Nyamjargal Tumendemberel (say that three times fast) via split decision.

Who Needs A Win Badly:

Luana Pinheiro hasn’t won a fight in more than two years, losing three straight — including back-to-back stoppage defeats at the hands of Amanda Ribas and Angela Hill. That bad stretch came after she kicked off her UFC career with three straight wins. Now, she will attempt to avoid her fourth straight defeat and salvage her UFC career when she takes on Tecia Pennington in the opening fight of the night. Pennington snapped her two-fight skid by defeating Carla Esparza in Oct. 2024. Another loss and it could be the end of the road for Pinheiro.

Interest Level: 6/10

In the co-main event, Craig will attempt to get back on track since needs a win in the worse way after losing his last three fights. In fact, his last win came two years ago, and he has a record of 1-5 in his last six, so he really can not afford another loss on his record. There is no telling if UFC will cut him should he lose his fourth straight, but for his sake he better not risk it. He has a tough task ahead of him in the form of Bellato, who is 4-0-1 in his last five, and 1-0-1 under UFC’s banner. I have an issue with the matchmaking here because here you have a relative newcomer on a winning streak facing off against an again veteran on the decline. I can kind of see why they would do this if they are trying to build up Bellato, but then you run the risk of it going downhill of “Bearjew” comes to play for keeps.

In a Middleweight affair, Dustin Stoltzfus will battle Nursulton Ruziboev. Stoltzfus has not been very successful since making his promotional debut five years ago. After starting off his UFC career with three straight losses, he has only manages to go 3-2 since. He is coming off a knockout win over Marc-Andre Barriault, and will attempt to keep his winning ways going against Ruziboev, who is 3-1 under UFC’s banner and was last seen defeating Eric McConico via second round technical knockout earlier this month.

One of my personal favorite fights of the night is the Featherweight collision between Julian Erosa vs. Melquizael Costa. Erosa is currently on a three-fight win streak, turning things around for himself after losing back-to-back fights to Alex Caceres and Fernando Padilla. He will go for lucky No. 4 when he goes up against Costa, who has also won three in a row. Both men push the pace, and both are entertaining as they come. The winner of this fight will take a big leap at 145 pounds, and get him closer to the Top 15.

Enjoy the fights!

Full UFC Vegas 106 Fight Card:

UFC Vegas 106 Main Event On ESPN+:

170 lbs.: Gilbert Burns vs. Michael Morales

UFC Vegas 106 Main Card on ESPN+ (7 p.m. ET):

205 lbs.: Paul Craig vs. Rodolfo Bellato
145 lbs.: Sodiq Yusuff vs. Mairon Santos
185 lbs.: Nursulton Ruziboev vs. Dustin Stoltzfus
145 lbs.: Julian Erosa vs. Melquizael Costa

UFC Vegas 106 Prelims Card on ESPN+ (4 p.m. ET):

155 lbs.: Matheus Camilo vs. Gabe Green
155 lbs.: Jared Gordon vs. Thiago Moises
145 lbs.: Connor Matthews vs. Yadier del Valle
135 lbs.: Luana Santos vs. Tainara Lisboa
115 lbs.: Denise Gomes vs. Elise Reed
125 lbs.: Hyun Sung Park vs. Carlos Hernandez
115 lbs.: Luana Pinheiro vs. Tecia Pennington

*Fight card, bout order and amount of fights remain subject to change.*

MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Vegas 106 fight card RIGHT HERE, starting with the ESPN+ “Prelims” undercard bouts at 4 p.m. ET, followed by the remaining main card balance (also streaming on ESPN+) at 7 p.m. ET.

To checkout the latest and greatest UFC Vegas 106 news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive here.