UFC Vegas 106 results: Sooo … About last night | Burns vs. Morales

Last night (Sat., May 17, 2025), Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) returned home to UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada for UFC Vegas 106. This was an average “Fight Night” event in terms of ranked fighters and general relevance, and it turned out to be a mixed bag overall. On the positive side, the “Prelims” generally exceeded expectations in terms of action! There may not have been numbers next to those names, but the opening string of finishes was great fun. Sadly, the main card slowed the momentum a bit, and losing Paul Craig vs. Rodolfo Bellato at the literal last second was a definite bummer as well.

Let’s take a look back over the best performances and techniques of the evening:

Morales Makes A Statement

Michael Morales might be the biggest, strongest man at 170-pounds.

He’s truly an imposing physical force. Gilbert Burns showed up shredded and ready to throw down last night, but he couldn’t scare Morales off at all. Even when he landed some solid counter shots, Morales would shrug them off and go back to throwing heavy leather. Similarly, a perfectly timed Burns double leg was barely enough to drag him down, let alone keep him on the floor.

Within a couple of minutes, the writing was on the wall: Morales was too fast and powerful for Burns, and both men knew it. Morales continued to press his advantages with increasing confidence, overwhelming Burns with punches-in-bunches. They weren’t the silky smooth boxing combinations of Jack Della Maddalena a week ago, but with that size and power, they didn’t have to be.

Burns hit the floor more than once before the referee saved him.

Melquizael Costa, Fighter of the Year 2025?

Costa vs. Julian Erosa was an absolute banger.

Costa has really developed into such a neat kickboxer, dextrous with both legs. He moves well along the outside of the cage, digging his opponent with left kicks and then halting their attempts to close range with lead leg stomps to the knee/thigh. The first five minutes served as a showcase for all his tricks and tactics, as he picked apart Erosa with a wide array of punishing kicks. He never quite managed to floor “Juicy J,” but he wobbled the knees on several occasions.

On that note, his hands are looking crisper than ever, if still a touch wild.

Erosa is nothing if not a gamer, and he started to find success in round two. He was able to push Costa to the fence more often and nullify a bit of that speed, finding a home for his own clubbing shots. He was still walking through hell to land, however, and the tide didn’t truly turn until round three. By then, Costa was still throwing and scoring, but he was fatigued enough that Erosa consistently kept him on his back foot with a wonky array of combinations and spinning punches.

It was great fun, and Costa walked away as the deserved victor. He’s now 3-0 in the last four months, having defeating Erosa, Christian Rodriguez, and Andre Fili in impressive fashion. I would wager very few UFC fans actually knew his name six months ago, so it’s been a really quick rise for the Brazilian prospect!

Still just 28 years of age, a ranking sooner than later wouldn’t surprise me.

Put Some Respect On Gordon’s Name

Jared Gordon would appear to be a late bloomer.

There was a period between 2018-2019 where it didn’t look like Gordon would stick around long, suffering three knockout losses in four fights. He’s historically been more of a cardio machine than finisher, and it’s tough to be the volume guy if you can’t take shots in return. A three-fight win streak helped establish his spot on the roster and prove his durability, but they were all decisions wins, and Grant Dawson dominated him afterward to end any run further up the ladder.

Since then, Gordon has looked sharper than ever despite theoretically leaving his physical prime. His boxing has really improved, allowing Gordon to mix in his takedowns rather than fully rely on them for success. His improved boxing prowess is also what allowed him to land so many left hooks on the chin of Paddy Pimblett. Even if the judges didn’t reward his good work, the improvements are clear.

Finally, the results are showing, as Gordon has won two fights via knockout in his last three. At 36 years of age, he’s found his power, scoring a single well-timed overhand right to completely separate Thiago Moises from his consciousness. His combination of strong wrestling, great cardio, newfound power, and high-level experience is now very legit!

I’m not expecting a title run or prolonged win streak, but “Flash” is about as good as unranked Lightweights come right now.

Additional Thoughts

Gabe Green defeats Matheus Camilo via second-round rear naked choke: It’s been two years since we last saw Gabe Green in the Octagon getting blasted by Bryan Battle. He returned here 15-pounds lighter, looking shredded in his new weight class. Despite the improved physique, the ring rust cost him the opening round, as he was controlled and elbowed repeatedly by the UFC newcomer. Awake by round two, Green charged forward with a takedown of his own. Camilo countered with a lovely triangle choke, but he couldn’t secure the finish and gassed his own legs out in the process. As soon as Green escaped the strangle, Camilo was visibly weaker, and Green was able to quickly jump his back and return to the win column in style.

Yadier del Valle defeats Connor Matthews via first-round rear naked choke: It’s rare to see an unproven Contenders Series product start his UFC career as a 6-1 favorite. Then, the fight started, and the odds makers were immediately vindicated! Del Valle opened the contest by blasting his foe with kicks then catching a return kick to gain top position. He quickly postered over Matthews and dropped the hammer, convincing “The Controller” to turn away and give up his back. The tap came soon afterward, and this third-consecutive defeat will likely be Matthews’ last appearance in the promotion.

Luana Santos defeats Tainara Lisboa via second-round Americana (highlights): Santos’ grappling carried her through this fight. The takedowns came rather easily, but in the first round, she wasn’t able to score too much offense. When she gained mount in the second, however, that dynamic shifted. She landed a few solid shots and began attacking the Americana, which is the kimura’s decidedly less dangerous cousin. Generally, that’s a very difficult hold to finish in MMA, but with short time, she opted to crank it anyway! Her aggression paid off, as Lisboa’s arm was torqued badly enough to force a tap with just a couple seconds remaining in the round. It’s a nice bounce back win for Santos, as well as a successful women’s Bantamweight return!

Denis Gomes defeats Elise Reed via second-round knockout: Gomes dominated this fight. Reed likes to keep her hands low to fire quick straight punches, but the power differential made that a poor strategy here. Gomes’ first overhand connection badly hurt Reed and probably should’ve finished the fight, but she opted to wrestle into top position instead. All that time to recover didn’t help Reed (or her smashed up face) one bit, as she fell early in the second to another big right hand swing. For reasons unknown, the referee really took his time letting follow-up punches land rather than save the clearly done athlete. Regardless, Gomes is now riding a three-fight win streak at just 25 years old and could still develop into a player at 115-pounds.

Hyun Sung Park defeats Carlos Hernandez via first-round rear naked choke (highlights): Park, age 29, might just be the best UFC prospect out of South Korea right now. Undefeated as a professional, he improved to 3-0 inside the Octagon here and made it look easy. Hernandez was well-aware that Park wanted to take him down and choke him out, but he still wasn’t able to muster more than a couple minutes of resistance. Park is a top-tier backpack in a division full of them, and hopefully this victory earns him a step up in competition against more proven 125-pound talent.

For complete UFC Vegas 106 results and play-by-play, click here.