At least one of two UFC Vegas 111 bouts hit with late withdrawals has reportedly been salvaged by a fighter stepping in on short notice.
The second of back-to-back cards at the UFC APEX before UFC 322 also goes down in Las Vegas, NV at T-Mobile Arena next weekend, UFC Vegas 111 is headlined by a welterweight clash featuring Gabriel Bonfim and Randy Brown.
It looked like the card had been reduced from 13 to 11 fights with just a couple days to go until the event, but Mike Heck and Damon Martin report that Dana White’s Contender Series veteran Zach Reese has agreed to step in for the event and face Jackson McVey on short notice.
Zach Reese Steps Up For UFC Vegas 111 Fight
Only one fight into his UFC career, McVey was originally scheduled to meet The Ultimate Fighter 32 finalist Robert Valentin this weekend before Valentin withdrew with a back injury.
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It initially looked as if undefeated middleweight Donte Johnson was set for a quick turnaround following his successful UFC debut last weekend to face McVey, but Nolan King confirmed that the NSAC failed to clear the fight after the matchup was originally reported by Wristlock MMA.
Brunno Ferreira (red gloves) fights against Jackson Mcvey (blue gloves) during UFC 318 at Smoothie King Center. | Stephen Lew-Imagn Images
McVey will still get to stay on the card and try to earn his first UFC victory when he faces Reese, who is coming off a 51-second No Contest result against Sedriques Dumas in September. “Savage” is 3-2 since joining the UFC outside of the Dumas fight, and his record includes a 20-second knockout of Julian Marquez that earned him a “Performance of the Night” bonus in 2024.
Adrian Yanez Won’t Fight At UFC Vegas 111
While McVey gets to stay on the card with Reese stepping in to replace Valentin, Dan Levi also broke the news that Cristian Quiñonez won’t be able to meet Adrian Yanez in a bantamweight bout at UFC Vegas 111.
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Yanez confirmed the news on his Instagram following the initial report, and MMA Junkie’s King later revealed that the 31-year-old unfortunately won’t be fighting on the card.
UFC Vegas 111 will still proceed with 12 fights even though the promotion failed to find a new opponent for Yanez, as the Reese vs. McVey booking keeps the card from dropping to 11 bouts with the event’s official weigh-ins still yet to take place.
UFC Vegas 111 Fight Card
• Main Event: Gabriel Bonfim vs. Randy Brown
• Co-Main Event: Matt Schnell vs. Joseph Morales
• Muslim Salikhov vs. Uros Medic
• Ismael Bonfim vs. Chris Padilla
• Ricky Simon vs. Raoni Barcelos
• Marco Tulio vs. Christian Leroy Duncan
• Jamall Emmers vs. Hyder Amil
• Mayra Bueno Silva vs. Jacqueline Cavalcanti
• Josh Hokit vs. Max Gimenis
• Tecia Pennington vs. Denise Gomes
• Miles Johns vs. Daniel Marcos
• Jackson McVey vs. Zach Reese
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