UFC Vegas 111 delivered a night packed with highlight finishes, and four fighters walked away with extra cash for their standout performances. Gabriel Bonfim, Christian Leroy Duncan, Josh Hokit, and Zach Reese each earned Performance of the Night honors after scoring emphatic stoppage wins inside the Octagon.
Performance of the Night: Gabriel Bonfim
Gabriel Bonfim (19-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) entered his bout with Randy Brown (20-7 MMA, 14-7 UFC) as roughly a 2-to-1 favorite and showed why with a spectacular finish in the second round. Bonfim launched a perfectly timed jumping knee that sent Brown crashing to the canvas, appearing momentarily unconscious. The referee stepped in right away to stop the fight, though Brown — along with several fans — felt the stoppage came too soon and that he should have been given more time to recover.
Performance of the Night: Christian Leroy Duncan
Christian Leroy Duncan (13-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) continued his impressive run with his third win of the year, stopping Marco Tulio (14-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC) by TKO in the second round. The finish began with a perfectly timed spinning backfist that rocked Tulio and set up the stoppage. It marked Duncan’s second consecutive performance bonus, following his spinning back elbow knockout of Eryk Anders in August.
Performance of the Night: Josh Hokit
Josh Hokit (7-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) entered the night as one of the biggest betting favorites and lived up to the hype in his matchup with fellow UFC newcomer Max Gimenis (6-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC). Hokit dominated from the start, earning a quick first-round finish to stay unbeaten. After the victory, he grabbed the mic and delivered a pro-wrestling-style promo, calling out Valter Walker for his next fight.
Performance of the Night: Zach Reese
Zach Reese (10-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC) stepped up on less than a week’s notice to face Jackson McVey (6-2 MMA, 0-2 UFC) in a 195-pound catchweight bout. The short turnaround meant Reese avoided a full weight cut, but the fight didn’t start smoothly. He was cut open early and even took an unfortunate low blow in the opening round. Despite the rough start, Reese regrouped between rounds, came out aggressive in the second, and secured a rear-naked choke to earn the comeback victory.
