The Octagon returns to the Meta Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada, this Saturday night for UFC Vegas 124: Cortes-Acosta vs. Walker, a Fight Night card featuring 14 bouts.
With so many fights on the card this weekend, it’s time to take a closer look at the biggest storylines, which air live on Sportsnet.
Short-notice heavyweight bout headlines
The main event of UFC Vegas 124 was originally a welterweight bout between Sean Brady and Gabriel Bonfim, but after Brady pulled out with a staph infection, the UFC called upon heavyweights Waldo Cortes-Acosta and Johnny Walker to headline the card on short notice.
Cortes-Acosta is the No. 8-ranked heavyweight in the Meta UFC Rankings. He is 10-4 overall in the UFC, but he's coming off back-to-back losses against Curtis Blaydes and Alexander Volkov. But against Walker, Cortes-Acosta has a much more favourable stylistic matchup against another striker who doesn’t have the best chin, which will give Cortes-Acosta the chance to get a KO.
As for Walker, he is the No. 12-ranked heavyweight. He has been a long-time light heavyweight in the UFC, but he recently made his heavyweight debut last month at UFC 332 when he scored a knockout win via knee over Mick Parkin. Now, he has a shot at entering the heavyweight top 10 if he can take out Cortes Acosta in what would be an upset.
This should be a violent fight for as long as it lasts, which may not be long considering how much knockout power both men possess. That’s why we recommend you don’t blink.
Potential title eliminator co-headlines card
In the co-main event, we have a potential UFC women’s strawweight title eliminator between Tatiana Suarez and Virna Jandiroba in what could be an interesting grappling-based chess match between two of the best fighters in their weight class.
Suarez is 9-1 in the UFC since she joined the promotion a decade ago, and she is coming off back-to-back wins over Amanda Lemos and Loopy Godinez since she suffered her only career defeat against former UFC women’s strawweight champion Weili Zhang. Suarez is the No. 3-ranked women’s strawweight and is closing in on a title shot against Mackenzie Dern.
As for Jandiroba, she holds a 9-4 UFC record since she entered the promotion in 2019. She is coming off a decision win over Tabatha Ricci in her last fight that saw her bounce back after losing to Dern last year in what was a failed attempt to capture the vacant 115 lbs belt.
This matchup between Suarez and Jandiroba is a key fight for the women’s strawweight division, and if the winner is impressive in victory, look for them to get the next title shot against Dern, who is sitting pretty right now, waiting to see which of these fighters get their hand raised.
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Bantamweight prospect Elijah Smith gets biggest test of UFC career
In a bantamweight bout that serves as the featured fight on the main card, Elijah Smith locks horns with Davey Grant in what could be one of the best fights on the entire card.
Smith, the son of former UFC fighter Gilbert Smith, is 3-0 so far inside the Octagon since he joined the world’s leading MMA promotion last year. In his last two fights, he submitted grappling ace SuYoung Yoo and bodyslammed Toshiomi Kazama in one of the best KOs of last year. Now, he will look to move up the bantamweight ranks when he takes on the veteran Grant.
Although Grant is not a ranked fighter right now, the 40-year-old Englishman is one of the toughest competitors in the weight class and is someone who always fights for your money. He is 9-7 since he first entered the UFC in 2013, which isn’t a great record by any means, but he has won six bonuses and is almost always involved in Fight of the Night-type slugfests.
Smith is the favourite to win, but you can’t ever count out Grant given his veteran experience and the fact that he never gives up on himself, even when the odds are stacked against him.
Light heavyweight finishers collide in potential war
One of the best fights on what is a deep Fight Night card is a light heavyweight bout between Billy Elekana and Lucas Fernando, which should be awesome for as long as it lasts.
Elekana is one of the most underrated fighters in the 205 lbs weight class right now, as he’s won his last three fights in a row after he lost his UFC debut against Bogdan Guskov in early 2025. Not only can Elekana strike, but he also has an awesome ground game with slick submissions.
As for Fernando, he made his UFC debut this summer at UFC 330 when he knocked out Rafael Tobias with a knee in what was an absolutely outstanding performance. In that fight, UFC commentator Joe Rogan absolutely raved about Fernando’s striking skills, as he threw everything, including the kitchen sink, at his opponent before finally putting him away.
This should be a phenomenal fight, and it’s one that is very much flying under the radar.
Top women’s bantamweight prospect returns
When we talk about the best women’s MMA prospects in the UFC right now, one name that immediately comes to mind is Nina Milosevic, who won her promotional debut this summer at UFC Belgrade when she knocked out Hailey Cowan with an absolutely devastating body punch.
Milosevic now makes her return to the Octagon when she battles Priscilla Cachoeira in what should be a fight that Milosevic wins, as Cachoeira has lost five of her last six fights and is coming to the end of her UFC career. She’s essentially being used as cannon fodder here for Milosevic, who looks like the real deal and who could be someone who is a dark-horse title contender at 135 lbs.
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