UFC Vegas 111: Who Next For Bonus Winner Christian Leroy Duncan?

UFC Vegas 111 appeared to be another underwhelming Apex card however, it certainly exceeded expectation. Gloucester’s own Christian Leroy Duncan provided a bonus winning finish to kick off the main card, a main card provided five ferocious finishes and two bonus winning performances.

Christian Leroy Duncan Vs Who?

Kicking off the main card were two big middleweight prospects hoping to secure a shot into the rankings with a violent victory. The Englishman Christian Leroy Duncan emerged victorious with a massive KO in the second round. Leroy Duncan has been one to watch since coming into the UFC from Cage Warriors in 2023. His flashy striking style is exciting to watch and his array of spinning attacks will always be eye catching. One of those spins won him the contest here after a superb spinning back fist wobbled Marco Tulio before he followed up with a crisp right hand dropping Tulio out cold.

One of Leroy Duncan’s UFC defeats was a step up in competition against Gregory Rodrigues last year now with the victory this weekend I believe it’s time we see him step up once again. Given the wealth of contenders on the fringes of the rankings at middleweight ‘CLD’ will most likely be competing with another unranked middleweight.

In 2025 Edmen Shahbazyan has reinvigorated his career with three straight wins pushing himself towards the rankings. The American is 9-5 in the UFC and a great experienced option for CLD to attempt to navigate. He is a well recognised fighter with a big resume and scalping him would be the biggest win of Leroy Duncan’s career.

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – OCTOBER 04: Edmen Shahbazyan reacts after a victory against Andre Muniz of Brazil in a middleweight fight during the UFC 320 event at T-Mobile Arena on October 04, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)

Alternatively, Shara Magomedov now 5-1 in the UFC quickly became a fan favourite and one to watch. Not only does he have the appearance of a bond villain but a wicked fighting style very similar to ‘CLD’. However, the Englishman would most likely need to venture to the Middle East to face Magomedov as the UFC have had difficultly bringing him into different territories.

ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – JULY 26: Shara Magomedov and Marc-Andre Barriault (not seen) of Canada compete in their men’s middleweight fight at the UFC Fight Night event at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, UAE on July 26, 2025. (Photo by Waleed Zein/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Final suggestion is Shara’s namesake, Abus Magomedov. The German Dagestani is seven fights into his UFC career and has had mixed results. Most recently he suffered defeat to Joe Pyfer who now sits at 15 in the rankings. However, prior to that defeat last month he was on a three fight win streak in a rich vein of form. As a litmus test for Christian Leroy Duncan he is perfect and offers a route into the middleweight rankings.