Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is just one day away from the upcoming UFC Vegas 105 mixed martial arts (MMA) event, which is set to go down tomorrow night (Sat., April 5, 2025) on ESPN and ESPN+ from inside APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada. UFC Vegas 105 features a featherweight main event between Top 10 title contenders Josh Emmett and Lerone Murphy, a five-round showdown with possible title implications for late 2025 and beyond. Before we dive into the main and co-main events, which include the featherweight collision between Pat Sabatini and Joanderson Brito, check out Andrew Richardson’s “X-Factor” breakdown for the rest of the UFC Vegas 105 main card. Get all the latest “Emmett vs. Murphy” odds and betting props courtesy of FanDuel right . For UFC Vegas 105 live results for this weekend’s “Sin City” fight card .

There was a time in the not-too-distant past when Josh Emmett was riding a five-fight win streak and ranked No. 4 in the featherweight division. You can even argue that he was one victory away from a 145-pound title shot. Unfortunately, Emmett was unable to clear the final hurdle, tapping to a second-round submission from Yair Rodriguez at UFC 284 in early 2023. Then came his chance to bounce back against then-prospect Ilia Topuria, who would go on to become champion, but Emmett got beaten to a bloody pulp by “La Leyenda” and is now one loss away from potentially losing his spot in the division Top 10. It probably doesn't help matters that Emmett turned 40 last month and doesn’t have much to offer in terms of offense, outside of his one-punch knockout power. The Team Alpha Male product has a putrid 36-percent striking accuracy rate, among the lowest in his division. Emmett has 10 wins under the UFC banner, four by knockout and six by decision.

Emmett told reporters at the UFC Vegas 105 media day . “I know what the UFC wants to see. I know what the fans want to see. They’re excited when I’m on a card because every strike I throw, I’m trying to finish the fight. I don’t think I have to go out there and make a statement, but I’m going to. The goal is to be a world champion. That’s always the goal. I feel like I’ve not been at my best in every fight, I was getting worse. I’ll tell you now, though: Over the course of the last 14 months, we’ve been working on my power and everything, and I can promise you, I’m so much more powerful than I was. So wait till that right hand connects.” Lerone Murphy jumped out to a fast start on the European circuit, racking up eight straight wins with five knockouts. That was enough to get the attention of UFC matchmakers, who are always on the hunt for UK talent. His Octagon debut ended in a split draw opposite Russian “Warrior” Zubaira Tukhugov. Since then, Murphy has been nothing short of perfect, putting together seven straight wins to break into the featherweight rankings. “The Iceman” would probably be seated a bit higher than No. 10 but he’s been to the judges’ scorecards in six of his eight UFC fights. That includes his last four, which ended with a unanimous decision nod over veteran bruiser Dan Ige at UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi. Murphy has yet to secure a submission finish in his professional career and I don’t expect him to start on Saturday. Statistically speaking, he’s a better striker than Emmett but doesn't have the same power, so it will be interesting to see if the 33 year-old Englishman is willing to wrestle in order to keep his opponent off balance. After all, not every takedown attempt is about the actual takedown, sometimes it’s used to disrupt rhythm or take away the low kick.

“It’s a massive challenge,” Emmett told reporters at the UFC Vegas 105 media day . “Biggest challenge of my career so far, but I’m ready for that and I’ve trained hard for this. So the outcome will be the outcome. That’s it. Simple as that. I didn’t ask for this fight for no reason. I asked for the fight because I know Josh Emmett’s a warrior. I know how good he is and I know that’ll bring the best out of me. Ilia Topuria went on to fight for the title after Josh Emmett, so for me, this is a No. 1 contender fight,” Murphy said. “I feel like behind Lopes and Volkanovski, who are fighting the week after, I think this is the best fight in the division. For me, this is the No. 1 contender fight. I’m looking forward to it.” Murphy is the moneyline betting favorite and that feels appropriate, but -325 is a little on the generous side when you consider Emmett's experience, as well as his power. Emmett’s layoff is a big issue coming into this fight. He’s been inactive since melting Bryce Mitchell in late 2023, whereas Murphy is just a few months removed from taking down Ige. It’s hard to give Emmett anything more than a puncher’s chance here and the safe pick is Murphy on the cards, which hopefully doesn't translate to a boring fight.

Pat Sabatini first made a name for himself with some spectacular finishes on the regional circuit, which includes a memorable run for Cage Fury Fighting Championships. Sabatini was able to parlay that success into a UFC contract and the results speak for themselves. The Philadelphian is 6-2 over the last four years with three slick submissions and one “Performance of the Night” bonus. Sabatini would probably be ranked in the Top 10 of the featherweight division; but in his one attempt to grab a rung on the official 145-pound ladder, he got stopped by Brazilian wunderkind Diego Lopes. Undaunted, the former CFFC featherweight champion roared back with a first-round submission over Jonathan Pearce at UFC Vegas 98 in what served as another showcase for his impressive grappling skills.

Skills that will no doubt be put to the test in tomorrow night’s showdown. “Not going to lie, when I saw co-main event, I definitely got hyped up for it,” Sabatini told reporters at the UFC Vegas 105 media day. “Just one more step closer to the top. Let’s keep climbing. Definitely a tough matchup. I think a lot of people would look at this like, ‘Wow, this guy is a tough matchup for me.’ But I kind of look at it the opposite way: I think I’m the tough matchup. [Teammate] Sean (Brady) set a good tone a couple of weeks ago against Leon. I’m looking to keep the ball rolling.”

Joanderson Brito also submitted Jonathan Pearce; but unlike Sabatini, was able to defeat Lopes when they went head-to-head on Dana White’s “Contender Series” back in late 2021. Brito would stumble out of the gate in his very first fight, dropping a unanimous decision to Bill Algeo, before rattling off five straight victories with three of them ending in the very first round. His most recent performance could be considered a setback, coming up short on the judges’ scorecards opposite French phenom William Gomis. If you factor in his “Contender Series” performance, Brito is 6-2 for UFC, the same as Sabatini. And just like his fight night foe, “Tubarao” (Portuguese for “shark”) is a dangerous ground fighter with sneaky submissions. That means fans are in for a chess match on the mat, or perhaps a stalemate which could turn both combatants into sloppy kickboxers.