UFC Vegas 124 Recap and Video Highlights: Johnny Walker Knocks Out Waldo Cortes-Acosta, Elijah Smith KOs Davey Grant, Full Card Results and Post-Fight Press Conference
By Real Combat Media MMA Editorial Staff
Las Vegas, Nevada, (November 7th, 2026)–Johnny Walker knocked out Waldo Cortes-Acosta with punches at 2:27 of the third round in the UFC Vegas 124 main event at the Meta Apex, rallying from a difficult second round with a question-mark kick, a backfist and a right hook to score his second straight stoppage since moving up to heavyweight. The short-notice main event earned both men Fight of the Night bonuses. In the co-main event, Tatiana Suarez controlled Virna Jandiroba over three rounds for a unanimous decision, and Elijah Smith knocked out Davey Grant in 60 seconds. The card produced seven finishes in 14 bouts, including a late comeback stoppage by Thomas Petersen that earned a Performance of the Night bonus.
Main Event Breakdown: Johnny Walker vs Waldo Cortes-Acosta
Walker spent the first round circling the much heavier Cortes-Acosta and attacking his lead leg and body with kicks. Cortes-Acosta briefly dropped him with a flurry against the fence, but Walker recovered and closed the round with a high kick. In the second round Cortes-Acosta pressured forward, landed a thudding right hand and forced Walker to the canvas, working elbows and hammerfists from half guard as fatigue set in for both men.
Early in the third round, Cortes-Acosta wobbled Walker with an overhand right. Walker answered with a body kick, then a head kick and a backfist that left Cortes-Acosta on unsteady legs, dropped him with a right hook and finished with follow-up punches until referee Jason Herzog stepped in at 2:27. Walker (24-10, 1 NC) has now won both of his heavyweight fights by stoppage, following his first-round knee knockout of Mick Parkin at UFC 332 on October 3. Cortes-Acosta falls to 17-5 and has lost three straight, with his last win coming against Derrick Lewis in January.
Co-Main Event Breakdown: Tatiana Suarez vs Virna Jandiroba
Suarez won a unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) by working single-leg and clinch entries, pinning Jandiroba against the fence and taking top position. Jandiroba, who has never been submitted, threatened with kneebar attempts at the end of the second round and again in the third, but Suarez countered with an arm-triangle, settled on top and landed elbows and punches from half guard. Suarez improved to 13-1 and stays in the title conversation, while Jandiroba falls to 23-5.
Main Card Highlights
Elijah Smith def. Davey Grant: Smith stung Grant in a close exchange, followed him across the cage with power punches and put him down with a final right hand that knocked Grant unconscious. Referee Herb Dean stepped in at the 60-second mark of the first round after Smith landed one more shot. The 24-year-old Contender Series graduate has now won nine straight, moved to 11-1 and earned a $100,000 Performance of the Night bonus.
Lucas Fernando def. Billy Elekana: Fernando won a unanimous decision (29-28 on all three cards) with a heavy dose of knees, body shots and clinch control. Elekana needed a finish in the third round and scored a takedown, but could not do enough damage from top position.
Nina Milosevic def. Priscila Cachoeira: Milosevic took Cachoeira down in the first round, took her back and controlled her for most of the five minutes in a round that two of Sherdog’s judges scored 10-8. She finished it in the second round with elbows, hammerfists and punches from back control at 3:40, extending her winning streak to 10 fights. Cachoeira has now lost four in a row.
Mitch Raposo def. Marcos Degli: Raposo outworked Degli with volume and body work and added a late takedown for a unanimous decision (29-28 on all three cards), spoiling Degli’s UFC debut. Raposo suffered a cut on the left side of his head from a Degli elbow in the third round.
Undercard Highlights
Oliver Schmid def. Keiichiro Nakamura: Schmid won a closely contested unanimous decision (29-28 on all three cards) with spinning body kicks and clean combinations. Nakamura dropped him with a left hook late in the third round and nearly finished it, but Schmid survived.
Thomas Petersen def. Gabriel Lourenco: Petersen survived a first round in which Lourenco knocked him down twice, then dropped the Brazilian with a left hook in the second. In the third round he took Lourenco down and finished with elbows, punches and hammerfists at 4:47, just 13 seconds before the final bell. He earned a $100,000 Performance of the Night bonus.
Karine Silva def. Gabriella Fernandes: Silva took a clinch-heavy unanimous decision (29-28 on all three cards) over her Brazilian compatriot.
Murtazali Magomedov def. Jose Mauro Delano: Magomedov improved to 12-0 with a unanimous decision (29-28 on all three cards) in a close fight. Delano landed leg kicks and volume early, and Magomedov mixed in takedowns before flooring Delano with an overhand left in the closing seconds. Sherdog’s media scorecards had Delano ahead 29-28.
Austin Bashi def. Carlos Calderon: Bashi followed a spinning backfist with a takedown, escaped a guillotine, took the back and finished with a rear-naked choke at 1:07 of the first round. Calderon was a short-notice replacement.
Andre Petroski def. Mantas Kondratavicius: Petroski pulled guard and used takedowns to drag the fight to the mat, then smothered Kondratavicius with ground and pound before climbing to mount and forcing the stoppage at 4:39 of the second round.
Seok Hyeon Ko def. Wellington Turman: Ko landed a judo throw in the first round and controlled the fight with takedowns and top position for a unanimous decision (30-27 on all three cards).
Jose Henrique Souza def. Jonny Parsons: The 6-foot-3 Souza picked Parsons apart with his jab, then stepped into a right uppercut and left hook that left Parsons flat on his back unconscious at 4:16 of the first round.
Post-Fight Press Conference
Walker said the finish was instinct rather than technique and used his post-fight interview to answer critics who say he cannot take a punch at heavyweight, pointing to the way he weathered Cortes-Acosta’s aggression. He told reporters he is ready for the deep end of the division and said he plans to attend UFC 334 in New York next Saturday, where Ciryl Gane defends the heavyweight title against Josh Hokit. UFC.com wrote that the win put Walker in the Top 10 and in the thick of the title chase. The UFC announced the night’s bonuses after the fights, and the full post-fight press conference is in the video section below.
Bonuses
Fight of the Night bonuses of $100,000 went to Johnny Walker and Waldo Cortes-Acosta. Performance of the Night bonuses of $100,000 went to Elijah Smith and Thomas Petersen.
Full Fight Card Results
Main Card
Heavyweight: Johnny Walker def. Waldo Cortes-Acosta by TKO (punches), Round 3, 2:27
Women’s Strawweight: Tatiana Suarez def. Virna Jandiroba by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Bantamweight: Elijah Smith def. Davey Grant by KO (punches), Round 1, 1:00
Light Heavyweight: Lucas Fernando def. Billy Elekana by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Women’s Bantamweight: Nina Milosevic def. Priscila Cachoeira by TKO (elbows and punches), Round 2, 3:40
Flyweight: Mitch Raposo def. Marcos Degli by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Preliminary Card
Featherweight: Oliver Schmid def. Keiichiro Nakamura by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Heavyweight: Thomas Petersen def. Gabriel Lourenco by TKO (punches), Round 3, 4:47
Women’s Flyweight: Karine Silva def. Gabriella Fernandes by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Featherweight: Murtazali Magomedov def. Jose Mauro Delano by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Featherweight: Austin Bashi def. Carlos Calderon by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 1, 1:07
Middleweight: Andre Petroski def. Mantas Kondratavicius by TKO (punches), Round 2, 4:39
Welterweight: Seok Hyeon Ko def. Wellington Turman by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Welterweight: Jose Henrique Souza def. Jonny Parsons by KO (punches), Round 1, 4:16
Watch
UFC Vegas 124 Video Highlights: Johnny Walker vs. Waldo Cortes-Acosta
UFC Vegas 124 Video Highlights: Every Finish
UFC Vegas 124 Post-Fight Press Conference
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