UFC Vegas 124 тэмцээний өмнөх товч танилцуулга ба тулаануудын таамаглал

UFC is keeping the action in-house with back-to-back Meta Apex shows. After last weekend’s UFC Vegas 123 ended in controversy, this Saturday it’s UFC Vegas 124’s turn.

Johnny Walker has a chance to fast-track through the heavyweight division in his first main event at the weight class against top-five contender Waldo Cortes-Acosta. Neither man was actually supposed to fight on Saturday, but a staph infection took out one-half of the original main-event, Sean Brady, who was set to face Gabriel Bonfim.

It’s mighty telling that the UFC would rather call up two heavyweights on short notice to headline UFC Vegas 124 rather than promote the strawweight co-main event between Tatiana Suarez and Virna Jandiroba. Given the current state of affairs and how the promotion has handled its women’s divisions in 2026, it’s actually somewhat surprising the UFC isn’t having the pair of one-time title challengers open the card.

👑 UFC Vegas 124’s lineup Crown grade: D. 👑

265 pounds: Waldo Cortes-Acosta (-225) vs. Johnny Walker (+185)

There’s not much to assess for this heavyweight main event under the circumstances. Even if these two had actual time to prepare, this fight seems pretty easy to break down.

Cortes-Acosta’s moneyline is likely as wide as it is thanks to his full career as a heavyweight, unlike the former light heavyweight Walker. Still, the momentum behind the “WCA” train has been halted significantly since his three-fight knockout streak from November to January culminated in a second-round stoppage of Derrick Lewis. His last two appearances since have been extremely underwhelming, with Alexander Volkov and Curtis Blaydes bringing Cortes-Acosta back down to Earth.

Walker is only one fight into his heavyweight run, but he debuted in the weight class with a thunderous statement, nearly executing Mick Parkin with a disgusting first-round flying knee knockout. The biggest improvement we’ve seen out of Walker in recent years is his patience, which certainly led to his downfall in that snoozer against Dominick Reyes. But Walker proved against Parkin that he still carries dynamic danger in his heavier frame, along with a speed advantage, making him a potential threat the higher he climbs.

This fight is entirely a durability test. Walker’s chin has been notoriously crafted from paper mache, while Cortes-Acosta hasn’t been finished in MMA. But knowing he needs to step on the gas pedal after staggeringly slow starts in his past two fights, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Cortes-Acosta open himself up to whatever wacky strike Walker has in mind.

At worst, a five-round staring contest is possible here, with each man all too aware of the danger the other presents.

Pick: Walker

115 pounds: Tatiana Suarez (-220) vs. Virna Jandiroba (+180)

It’s wild to think that had Suarez dethroned Zhang Weili, this could’ve easily been a title fight. Yet, here we are in the UFC’s most famous warehouse for a surely tantalizing grappler’s delight.

OK, that last bit is sarcastic on my part, despite my affinity for Jandiroba’s stellar mat work. Sadly, “Carcara” seems to have been hit by Father Time — or is it Mother Time in this case? Either way, the BJJ wizard is 38 years old now. She rebounded off her title loss to Mackenzie Dern with a dominant effort against Tabatha Ricci, but the Dern performance is glaring for this matchup. Jandiroba was thoroughly controlled by Dern from top position, which is where Suarez will thrive.

Suarez aims to wrestle and dominate her opponents on the mat. She’ll be putting herself in danger at every turn with someone like Jandiroba, but she’s good enough at closing gaps to smother Jandiroba more often than she won’t. On the feet, neither fighter here is spectacular nor going to present much danger, as both mostly strike to set up their takedowns. Well, Jandiroba does, anyway; Suarez is much more of a bull-rusher.

This fight should look like two opposite-ended magnets trying to stick together. Or a human thumb-wrestling match. Whoever gets the edge first will hold it.

Pick: Suarez

135 pounds: Davey Grant (+260) vs. Elijah Smith (-325)

We need to start having a conversation about Davey Grant being a bantamweight gatekeeper GOAT. One of the “GOATkeepers,” if you will.

Here we are with the 40-year-old Brit still going strong, taking on a 24-year-old Elijah Smith. I mean, this could be a father vs. son fight.

Listen, Smith may as well snatch Grant’s “Dangerous” nickname with a win here, because he’s been nasty so far in his three-fight UFC career. It’s unfortunately easy to forget because the entire run has taken place inside the Apex, but Smith did terrible things to Toshiomi Kazama with a powerbomb last year. After that, he continued his dominant ways by submitting Su Young You this past March.

Grant is admittedly a talented and fun striker at 135 pounds. He’s $2 steak tough, but that can only last for so long. With someone like Smith, Grant will simply be “outphysicaled” and bullied around the Octagon.

Pick: Smith

Caleb Bowlin via Getty Images

205 pounds: Billy Elekana (+260) vs. Lucas Fernando (-325)

Billy Elekana rides a rather padded three-fight win UFC streak heading into the weekend, and oddsmakers are screaming that in our faces with the odds of this matchup. Elekana, at least, scored rear-naked chokes in his prior two bouts before this matchup. He’s a capable striker with a sneaky ability to grab a neck, but he still has a lot to prove.

Lucas Fernando was admittedly being over-praised by commentary as the second coming during his UFC debut win over Rafael Tobias in August; still, he’s a great striker for where he sits in the division’s current landscape. The guy can crack, and he hurls bone-breaking leg kicks.

Although Fernando has more setbacks on his résumé than Elekana, he’s shown more consistency in his latest overall performances.

Pick: Fernando

135 pounds: Priscila Cachoeira (+400) vs. Nina Milošević (-550)

MMA’s greatest mystery might be how Priscila Cachoeira is still on the UFC roster after starting her run 0-3, and now being 1-5 in her past six, with several blatant cheating fouls sprinkled in along the way. Not to mention, “Zombie Girl” is also 38 now, making her nickname even more appropriate after never adapting her fight style in the eight years since joining the roster.

Nina Milošević is a notable prospect and is being given a layup here, designed for her to win however she pleases. If she doesn’t, that’s probably not a great sign for her future.

Pick: Milošević

125 pounds: Mitch Raposo (+200) vs. Marcos Degli (-250)

Among all the fighters on UFC Vegas 124, Marcos Degli may be the one to be most excited about. The 26-year-old former LFA champion has been a ball of chaos in his early career, needing the judges’ scorecards just three times. Funnily enough, Degli kind of looks like a Brazilian version of “Mighty Mouse” Demetrious Johnson, but fights more like a mix of Deiveson Figueiredo and Anderson Silva. That’s an odd and bold comparison, I know, but it’s mostly because of the versatility in what he throws and how he throws it.

Mitch Raposo is talented in his own right, and has the grappling chops to nullify the primary weapons of Degli. But this is one of those classic main-card-opening showcase fights the UFC loves in 2026.

Degli is here to shine.

Pick: Degli

Preliminary Notes

It pains me to say it, but a set of prelims may have never been more skippable, folks.

Murtazali Magomedov is back, so that’s cool. The undefeated 11-0 Kyrgyzstan “Highlight” scored a twister in his UFC debut, further highlighting how nasty he is. The odds aren’t in his favor, however; José Mauro Delano offers a strong challenge, making the fight a great test for both as they try to climb the featherweight division.

Quick picks:

• Keiichiro Nakamura (-350) def. Ollie Schmid (+275)

• Gabriel Lorenço (+140) def. Thomas Petersen (-170)

• Karine Silva (-250) def. Gabriella Fernandes (+200)

• Murtazali Magomedov (+100) def. José Mauro Delano (-120)

• Austin Bashi (N/A) vs. Carlos Calderon (N/A)

• Mantas Kondratavičius (-300) def. Andre Petroski (+240)

• Ko Seok-hyeon (-800) def. Wellington Turman (+550)

• José Henrique Souza (-250) def. Jonny Parsons (+200)