Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is just one day away from the upcoming UFC Vegas 124 mixed martial arts (MMA) event, which is set to go down tomorrow night (Sat., Nov. 7, 2026) on Paramount+ from inside Meta Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. UFC Vegas 124 features a heavyweight main event between 265-pound contenders Waldo Cortes Acosta and Johnny Walker, a five-round showdown that could shake up the division Top 10.
Before we dive into the main and co-main event, which includes the 115-pound collision
between strawweight stalwarts Virna Jandiroba and Tatiana Suarez, check out Andrew Richardson’s “X-Factor” breakdown for the rest of the UFC Vegas 124 main card by clicking here. Get all the latest “Cortes Acosta vs. Walker” odds and betting props courtesy of FanDuel right here. For UFC Vegas 124 live results and play-by-play click here.
265 lbs.: Waldo Cortes Acosta vs. Johnny Walker
Waldo “Salsa Boy” Cortes Acosta
Record: 17-4 | Age: 35 | Betting line: -230
Wins: 9 KO/TKO, 1 SUB, 7 DEC | Losses: 0 KO/TKO, 0 SUB, 4 DEC
Height: 6’4” | Reach: 78” | Stance: Orthodox
Significant Strikes Landed Per Minute: 5.03 | Striking accuracy: 47%
Strikes Absorbed Per Minute: 3.44 | Striking Defense: 55%
Takedown Average: 0.36 (50% accuracy) | Takedown Defense: 69%
Current Ranking: No. 8 | Last fight: Unanimous decision loss to Curtis Blaydes
Johnny Walker
Record: 23-10, 1 NC | Age: 34 | Betting line: +190
Wins: 18 KO/TKO, 3 SUB, 2 DEC | Losses: 6 KO/TKO, 1 SUB, 3 DEC
Height: 6’6“ | Reach: 82” | Stance: Orthodox
Significant Strikes Landed Per Minute: 3.98 | Striking accuracy: 55%
Strikes Absorbed Per Minute: 2.99 | Striking Defense: 45%
Takedown Average: 0.35 (50% accuracy) | Takedown Defense: 57%
Current Ranking: No. 12 | Last fight: Knockout win over Mick Parkin
Waldo Cortes Acosta looked like he was going to be a problem for heavyweights in 2026 (and beyond) after a torrid 2025 run that returned a 4-1 record with three knockouts. “Salsa Boy” followed that up with a sensational second-round knockout win over Derrick Lewis, which seemed impressive at the time, until we realized Lewis was following the Bob Sapp blueprint for quick dives and easy paychecks. What followed was a considerable step up in competition and Cortes Acosta was unable to meet the challenge, dropping back-to-back decision losses to No. 2-ranked Alexander Volkov and No. 6-ranked Curtis Blaydes. Some fans still consider Cortes Acosta to be an up-and-coming prospect because of his stint on Dana White’s “Contender Series” at Meta Apex. But that was over four years ago and Cortes Acosta now has 14 fights inside the Octagon. He also turned 35 last month so I’m not expecting any sort of evolution in his fight game. Fortunately, that may not matter for his upcoming fight against Johnny Walker, who has his own set of problems to deal with.
“I think he’s trying to be better now at heavyweight because at light heavyweight he didn’t do nothing at all,” Cortes Acosta said at the UFC Vegas 124 media day. “He didn’t have a lot finishes at light heavyweight because everybody would knock him out. He doesn’t have a chin. It’s like a doorbell; it’s easy to hit it. Now he thinks he can be at heavyweight and have a better chance to move forward and one day get a title shot, but before that he needs to pass me and a lot of people, real heavyweights. I don’t need to measure anybody. I go after him and look to break his head. I don’t think I need to play with anybody. I know now how my chin is, it’s like metal, and my punches, if I move my feet, you’re going to sleep.”
There was a time in the not-too-distant past when Johnny Walker was the most exciting (and the most gargantuan) light heavyweight on the roster. Like Cortes Acosta, the Brazilian made a name for himself on Dana White’s “Contender Series” in summer 2018 then went on to win three straight, all by way of first-round knockout. I don’t know if Corey Anderson took his soul or exposed him for the one-trick pony he later turned out to be, but “Overtime” ended the Walker experiment at UFC 244 and Walker has a losing record in the seven years since that fight (6-7). That doesn’t mean he’s an automatic out, as we learned in the Mick Parkin fight at UFC 332 just last month. If you give Walker — who stands 6’6” with an 82” reach — ample room to work, he’s going to land with something spectacular. How well he performs against Cortes Acosta all depends on how well he’s able to maintain a stingy defense. Working against him is the fact that his UFC Vegas 124 main event is five rounds, giving “Salsa Boy” 25 minutes to land something of merit.
“He’s a very high-level fighter,” Walker said at the UFC Vegas 124 media day. “Good boxing, good speed, good with the hands. We’re about the same age as well, and that’s a really good opportunity for me, fight a guy of that caliber. It’s a big test, and I pass through that, it’s just gonna show that I belong to the heavyweight division. I never make a plan. I just get ready for the worst situation. You think I planned to knock Mick Parkin like that last time? I hadn’t planned that, just happened, you know? It’s more like an instinct. You get ready, train, sharp your skills, everything – but the day of the fight, of course you follow a little bit of gameplan, but you can’t predict 100 percent what’s going to happen. I’m 34 years old and very experienced fighter already. I’ve been through this game for a long time. A win against a guy at this level is gonna put me in a very good position – and I believe I’m gonna be deserving. Let’s see this Saturday if I’m ready or not.”
Walker has all the tools to win this fight … but does he have the chin? That may depend on how well he protects it. I would expect to see some of the flashiness of Walker early and often, with Cortes Acosta weathering the storm and perhaps even marching right through it.
A first-round finish would not surprise me.
Prediction: Cortes Acosta def. Walker by technical knockout
115 lbs.: Virna Jandiroba vs. Tatiana Suarez
Virna “Carcara” Jandiroba
Record: 23-4 | Age: 38 | Betting line: +170
Wins: 1 KO/TKO, 14 SUB, 8 DEC | Losses: 0 KO/TKO, 0 SUB, 4 DEC
Height: 5’3“ | Reach: 64” | Stance: Orthodox
Significant Strikes Landed Per Minute: 2.27 | Striking accuracy: 41%
Strikes Absorbed Per Minute: 2.86 | Striking Defense: 55%
Takedown Average: 3.13 (39% accuracy) | Takedown Defense: 72%
Current Ranking: No. 2 | Last fight: Unanimous decision victory over Tabatha Ricci
Tatiana Suarez
Record: 12-1 | Age: 35 | Betting line: -205
Wins: 2 KO/TKO, 6 SUB, 4 DEC | Losses: 0 KO/TKO, 0 SUB, 1 DEC
Height: 5’5“ | Reach: 66” | Stance: Southpaw
Significant Strikes Landed Per Minute: 2.86 | Striking accuracy: 60%
Strikes Absorbed Per Minute: 1.63 | Striking Defense: 44%
Takedown Average: 4.52 (45% accuracy) | Takedown Defense: 57%
Current Ranking: No. 3 | Last fight: Submission win over Lupita Godinez
Virna Jandiroba remains in the No. 2 spot at 115 pounds and is widely considered the top female strawweight behind current champion Mackenzie Dern and former titleholder Zhang Weili, who seems content to do anything but fight. Jandiroba lost a very close contest to Dern at UFC 321 roughly one year back, a bout that was overshadowed by the Ciryl Gane-Tom Aspinall eye poke drama. A close fight doesn’t mean I thought she won or that it was even a robbery, it just means it was close. The point I’m trying to make is that Jandiroba belongs at the top of the division based on her performances and her 6-1 run over the last five years. Her inability to finish fights has invited the usual criticism, mostly because “Carcara” has 14 submission victories and only three of them have taken place inside the Octagon. That’s probably because Jandiroba is now fighting the absolute best of the best and finishes don’t come as easily for any combatant — male of female — in the upper echelon of the promotion.
“This is a very important fight,” Jandiroba said at the UFC Vegas 124 media day. “We’re up there in the rankings, No. 2 and 3. So, we’re looking for that title shot. She is a renowned and experienced grappler, and I’m an experienced grappler, so I look at it as a clash of titans – and I’m very happy to be back fighting. I definitely think there’s a message that needs to be sent, and I think it’s that I’m still a part of the game. I continue to be here, and livelier than ever. We obviously don’t know how the fight’s gonna go. We want to make sure to get a finish to get the chance. I think we should be next for that. You want to finish a fight strong, and you want to end it on a note that a message is sent, and the organization gets impressed enough to give you a title shot. I think one of the biggest lessons I took [from the Dern loss] was to be more forceful and really strive to get a knockout or a finish, and basically go for it from the beginning.”
Tatiana Suarez also had her crack at the 115-pound crown when she battled the aforementioned Weili at UFC 312 in early 2025. Suarez looked utterly lost against “Magnum” and failed to capture the title, while also registering the first loss of her professional MMA career. Undaunted, Suarez returned to capture consecutive victories over Amanda Lemos and Lupita Godinez, the latter of which ended by way of second-round submission. Suarez averages nearly five takedowns for every 15 minutes of action and will undoubtedly look to implement her wrestling here, as well, though you could argue the ground becomes a dangerous game to play against an experienced grappler like Jandiroba. The Brazilian has never been finished in 27 professional fights and I don’t think that’s going to change this weekend in Vegas. Instead, I expect the fight to come down to who can control the standup, as Jandiroba will also be looking to get this fight to the floor. Suarez is the more accomplished wrestler but as we saw in the Colby Covington vs. Raul Rosas Jr. matchup at Hype Italy, that doesn’t always equate to guaranteed dominance.
“We’re at the top of the division other than Weili,” Suarez said at the UFC Vegas 124 media day. “So, I just feel like it makes sense that we’re gonna be next in line for the belt. I took a lot from [the Weili loss]. It’s helped me in a lot of ways mentally, it’s helped me understand things that I also have to improve on, and more so the mindset of it all. Up until that point, I’ve never faced any adversity in a fight. So, that was the first time I’ve ever had to face any type of adversity, and I never stopped coming. I always kept trying, so that’s something to be said as well. So it does show me that I always just never quit. I’m never just going to be like, ‘Okay, I’m done.’ She hit me with some good shots, and I just kept coming forward. But I think more importantly, I just feel like being a skilled fighter and having the fight IQ is important when you have big fights like that. I always look to go and finish my opponents and have a statement performance. I always want to go out there and finish my opponent, so that’s what I am focused on. That’s where my energy’s going. I want to finish the fight, make everybody on TV happy.”
This is a tough fight to call but the bookies are siding with Suarez, presumably because of her ability to control opponents and dictate the pace. Outside of Weili, she’s never lost a fight whereas Jandiroba has fallen to the likes of Amanda Ribas. Perhaps more telling, at least in terms of this fight, is the fact that “Carcara” was defeated by Carla Esparza, an accomplished wrestler just like Suarez.
Prediction: Suarez def. Jandiroba by decision
Don’t forget to check out the rest of the UFC Vegas 124 main card predictions RIGHT HERE.
