UFC Vegas 105 start time, full fight card details | Emmett vs. Murphy

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is ending its mini international road trip and is back at its home base as UFC Vegas 105 is set to go down later TONIGHT (Sat., April 5, 2025) inside UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. Headlining the event will be a Featherweight fight between Josh Emmett vs. Lerone Murphy. In the co-main event, Pat Sabatini will battle Joanderson Brito in another 145-pound tilt.

What’s Hot:

It’s been 16 months since Josh Emmett last stepped foot inside the Octagon, opting to take an extended break to get himself back to 100-percent following his devastating knockout win over Bryce Mitchell (see it here) back at UFC 296 in Dec. 2023. That win snapped his two-fight skid, and now the 40 year-old heavy-handed brawler aims to secure his first back-to-back win streak in four years. Despite his layoff, Emmett is still ranked No. 8 in the talent-rich 145-pound weight class, and another highlight reel finish will go a long way in getting him closer to the Top 5. Standing in his way, however, is an undefeated contender who is ready for his time to shine.

Murphy has quietly gone 7-0-1 inside the Octagon. I say quietly because during his five-year run with the promotion, “The Miracle” has only managed to secure two finishes. While a win is a win is a win, fans remember highlight reel knockouts and submissions and, to be frank, that’s usually what gets you the spotlight and bigger fights. Then again, Belal Muhammad managed to get to the top of the game and he only has one finish in five years. Still, the point is Murphy needs to do something to drum up some interest, and a win over a heavy-hitter with name value like Emmett certainly aids in that goal. Still, that’s not to say Murphy can’t stand and bang with the best of them, but going blow-for-blow against someone like Emmett is one dangerous game to play. This one should be fun, for as long as it lasts.

Original Card vs. Actual Card:

A Featherweight bout between Giga Chikadze and David Onama was scheduled for this event before it was moved to a later card on April 26, 2025, which is set to be headlined by Ian Garry taking on Carlos Prates. Also, Daniel Santos never made it to the to weigh ins, which prompted the promotion to cancel his fight against Davey Grant.

Injuries:

A women’s Strawweight bout between Ariane Carnelossi and Loma Lookboonmee was set to take place on this card before Carnelossi withdrew as a result of an ankle injury. She was ultimately replaced by Istela Nunes, who is on a dreadful four-fight losing streak. Also, Kennedy Nzechukwu was forced out of his Heavyweight bout against Martin Buday with an injury the week before fight night and replaced by LFA Light Heavyweight Champion Uran Satybaldiev.

New Blood:

Uran Satybaldiev got the call up to the big show after Kennedy Nzechukwu bowed out with an injury. Now, Satybaldiev will put his undefeated (8-0) record on the line in his UFC debut. With six finishes in eight fights, Satybaldiev is the current 205-pound champion for LFA, but he has his eyes on a bigger prize now, and making a splash in his first fight for the biggest MMA promotion in the world is a step in the right direction. His opponent, Martin Buday, will not make it easy for him, as he is 5-1 inside the Octagon and is coming off a win over former UFC Heavyweight champion, Andrei Arlovski.

Currently riding a five-fight win streak, Daniel Frunza made his way onto the big show via the Contender Series. Of his nine wins, eight of them have been via submission or knockout, only seeing the judges scorecards once in his career. Now, he is out to make a splash right away when he goes head up against Rhys McKee, who is currently on a two-fight losing streak and in danger of getting cut with another loss.

Torrez Finney is another Contender Series alum, though he had to win twice in order to get a contract. Undefeated at 10-0, “The Punisher” had eight finishes and is an absolute unit at Middleweight. He will be taking on Robert Valentin, who failed to win in his own UFC debut last year, losing to Ryan Loder via second-round technical knockout (TKO).

Luis Gurule is another fighter coming out of the Contender Series with a mint record of 10-0 and six finishes. He is facing off against Ode Osbourne, who is in desperate need of a win after losing his last three fights under the UFC banner, four of five overall.

How The ‘Prelims’ Look:

We have already discussed several fights of the undercard in our previous section, so let’s take a look at the remainder of the “Prelims,” shall we? Kicking off the event is a women’s Strawweight fight between Vanessa Demopoulos and Talita Alencar. Demopoulos is coming off a loss at the hands of Jaqueline Amorim, while Alencar also lost in her most recent outing, coming up short against Stephanie Luciano.

In men’s Bantamweight action, Victor Henry will look to erase the memory of his most recent loss at the hands of Charles Jourdain when he takes on Pedro Falcao, who still has a bitter taste in his mouth after his five-fight win streak was snapped by Victor Hugo exactly one year ago.

Who Needs A Win Badly:

Diana Belbita has really had a rough UFC run, going a sub-par 2-5 in five years with the promotion. She has lost her last two fights, and as she prepares to face Dione Barbosa it has to be lurking in the back of her head that another loss could mark the end of her UFC career. Barbosa is 1-1 so far in her young UFC career, though she is coming off a loss at the hands of Miranda Maverick.

Interest Level: 5.5/10

In the co-main event of the evening, Joanderson Brito and Pat Sabatini meet in what should be a highly-entertaining Featherweight affair. Brito was riding high with a five-fight win streak after throwing up a dud in his UFC debut, but that streak was snapped in his most recent outing after he lost a razor-thin split-decision at the hands of William Gomis six months ago. Now, Brito will attempt to kick start another win streak, and his first challenge comes against a man who is 6-2 so far inside the Octagon. Sabatini got back into the win column last October after he submitted Jonathan Pearce via rear-naked choke in the very first round.

Brad Tavares has been fighting for UFC for 15 years now, and while he has never reached the pinnacle of the sport, he has done just enough to remain employed. That said, Tavares has really struggled as of late, as he is currently on a two-fight losing streak and has lost four of his last five fights. He will attempt to snap his skid when he battles Gerald Meerschaert, who is also hungry for a win after losing to Reinier de Ridder in his most recent outing. There is no telling if Tavares will face the chopping block with another defeat, but it’s something he should try to avoid at all costs just to be safe.

Cortavious Romious did not make the splash he would have liked in his UFC debut, losing to Gaston Bolanos last November. For his sake, he needs to avoid going 0-2 to start his UFC career because it will be over before he has any chance to pick up some steam. He will be battling Chang Ho Lee, who is riding high with four straight wins, which includes making a successful and official UFC debut against Long Xiao, defeating him via split-decision last summer.

Enjoy the fights!

Full UFC Vegas 105 Fight Card:

UFC Vegas 105 Main Event On ESPN/ESPN+:

145 lbs.: Josh Emmett vs. Lerone Murphy

UFC Vegas 105 Main Card on ESPN/ESPN+ (9 p.m. ET):

145 lbs.: Pat Sabatini vs. Joanderson Brito135 lbs.: Cortavious Romious vs. Chang Ho Lee265 lbs.: Martin Buday vs. Uran Satybaldiev (not Kennedy Nzechukwu)185 lbs.: Brad Tavares vs. Gerald Meerschaert185 lbs.: Torrez Finney vs. Rob Valentin

UFC Vegas 105 Prelims Card on ESPN/ESPN+ (6 p.m. ET):

125 lbs.: Ode Osbourne vs. Luis Gurule135 lbs.: Davey Grant vs. Daniel Santos — CANCELED (details here)125 lbs.: Diana Belbita vs. Dione Barbosa170 lbs.: Rhys McKee vs. Daniel Frunza115 lbs.: Loma Lookboonmee vs. Istela Nunes135 lbs.: Victor Henry vs. Pedro Falcao115 lbs.: Vanessa Demopoulos vs. Talita Alencar

*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 105 fight card RIGHT HERE, starting with the ESPN/ESPN+ “Prelims” undercard bouts at 6 p.m. ET, followed by the remaining main card balance on ESPN/ESPN+ at 9 p.m. ET.

To checkout the latest and greatest UFC Vegas 105 news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive here.