UFC Vegas 124 takes place Saturday, November 7, at Meta APEX in Las Vegas. The prelims begin at 5 p.m. ET (4 p.m. CT), followed by the main card at 8 p.m. ET (7 p.m. CT). The full card streams on Paramount+.
Waldo Cortes-Acosta meets Johnny Walker in a short-notice heavyweight main event after Sean Brady withdrew from his scheduled fight with Gabriel Bonfim. The Austin Bashi–Lucas Brennan bout also changed, with Carlos Calderon taking Brennan’s place on short notice. Walker is coming off his first heavyweight appearance, while Cortes-Acosta gets an opportunity to headline. Tatiana Suarez and Virna Jandiroba meet in the women’s strawweight co-main event.
MAIN CARD
Waldo Cortes-Acosta vs. Johnny Walker
Waldo Cortes-Acosta is an orthodox heavyweight who does most of his work with boxing, particularly the jab, straight right hand and combinations. He likes to move forward, keep opponents busy and build his offense through steady pressure rather than waiting for one big punch. He throws more volume than many heavyweights, but his attack becomes less effective when opponents kick his lead leg or force him to defend takedowns. He enters this fight off consecutive decision losses to Alexander Volkov and Curtis Blaydes. Before those defeats, he had stopped Ante Delija, Shamil Gaziev and Derrick Lewis in three straight fights.
Johnny Walker is a tall, orthodox striker who uses his reach to land hard low kicks and long-range punches before exploding forward with knees and other unconventional attacks. His timing and unpredictability make him dangerous, but his loose defense leaves openings for counters, and he has suffered several knockout losses. Although he has submission skills, he does most of his work on the feet rather than wrestling. After consecutive knockout losses to Magomed Ankalaev and Volkan Oezdemir in 2024, he stopped Zhang Mingyang and then lost a split decision to Dominick Reyes. He moved to heavyweight in October 2026 and knocked out Mick Parkin with a knee in the first round.
I’ll keep my reasoning short and sweet: Johnny Walker is just not someone I can trust to pick. I think Mr. Waldo laid out the reasoning pretty well. Walker’s chin was already suspect at light heavyweight, and now he’s moved up to heavyweight? It’s gonna be bad. He did pick up a win in his heavyweight debut, but the farther he goes in this division, the more likely he is to get slept. I think it’s only a matter of time, so I’ll continue to fade him until it happens or Johnny Walker somehow becomes undeniable.
Tatiana Suarez vs. Virna Jandiroba
Tatiana Suarez is a southpaw and accomplished freestyle wrestler who uses forward pressure, clinch work and chain wrestling to put opponents on their backs. She’s especially effective at controlling position against the fence and on the mat, where she lands ground strikes and looks for submissions. Her striking mostly serves to set up her wrestling, and she can struggle when opponents defend her takedowns and force extended exchanges on the feet. Zhang Weili exposed those limitations in Suarez’s first professional loss during their 2025 title fight. Suarez has since rebounded with wins over Amanda Lemos and Lupita Godinez, submitting Godinez in April 2026.
Virna Jandiroba is an orthodox strawweight and Brazilian jiu-jitsu specialist who prefers to get fights to the mat rather than trade punches at distance. She uses her striking to close into the clinch, chains together takedown attempts and works from top position, where armbars and rear-naked chokes are major threats. Her stand-up offense is fairly limited, and controlling an opponent on the ground doesn’t always mean she’s doing the more effective work. That was apparent in her October 2025 title loss to Mackenzie Dern, who kept landing strikes even after being taken down repeatedly. Jandiroba rebounded in April 2026 by taking Tabatha Ricci down six times and winning a unanimous decision.
Speaking of trust issues, I’m not sure how anyone can trust Suarez. I’m seeing -210, and that blows my mind. Am I supposed to expect Suarez to submit her? Is she just going to win through control? I really don’t think she’s going to win on the feet. In a five-round fight, maybe Suarez could get the better of Virna Jandiroba, but I think Suarez has missed her prime, and 38-year-old Virna still looks fairly competitive. I don’t see Suarez winning by submission, which I believe is her only path to victory. Give me Jandiroba by split decision, with the deciding factor being her damage over Suarez’s control.
Davey Grant vs. Elijah Smith
Davey Grant is an orthodox bantamweight who pressures opponents with looping hooks, overhand rights and kicks to the body and legs. He throws at a high pace and is willing to trade punches, although his forward entries and loose defense can leave him open to counters. A Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt with nine career submission wins, he’s dangerous in scrambles even though he now does most of his work on the feet. At 40, he’s won three of his last four fights, most recently outpointing Adrian Luna Martinetti in April 2026. His only loss in that stretch was a first-round guillotine submission against Charles Jourdain.
Elijah Smith is an orthodox bantamweight who combines quick footwork and fast punching combinations with strong clinch and ground work. He’s effective from top position, where he can land ground strikes, take the back and attack submissions. His takedown defense is still a work in progress, as SuYoung You took him down four times and controlled much of their first round in March 2026. Smith adjusted in the second, hurt You with an uppercut and knees, and finished him with a rear-naked choke. He’s 3-0 in the UFC, with a decision over Vince Morales and a slam knockout of Toshiomi Kazama preceding that win.
We love a vet lesson around here, and Davey has handed out a few of them over the past several years. This might be a tough one, though, and I agree with the odds, which, at the time of writing, have Smith at -320. I’ll hand it to Davey Grant for being tough, and hopefully he’s on all the good UFC Performance Institute peppers, but I have to go with the young gun to get it done.
Billy Elekana vs. Lucas Fernando
Billy Elekana is a southpaw light heavyweight who occasionally switches stances, using straight punches, low kicks and occasional high kicks to pick his shots from range. He’s accurate and has decent power, but his output can be frustratingly low, particularly when opponents pressure him. Although he doesn’t wrestle consistently, he’s dangerous when he gets on top and has shown a knack for taking the back and finding rear-naked chokes. He submitted Kevin Christian and Junior Tafa in consecutive fights, although Tafa dropped him with a right hand before Elekana recovered and finished him in the second round. He’s won three straight since losing his UFC debut to Bogdan Guskov in January 2025.
Lucas Fernando is an orthodox light heavyweight with an extensive kickboxing background who works behind a sharp jab and mixes straight punches with kicks to the legs and body. He is patient at range but can pressure opponents with combinations, attacking at different levels rather than relying on one power shot. Although he holds a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, he prefers to strike, and his takedown defense has yet to face a sustained test in the UFC. He lost back-to-back decisions to César Almeida and Azamat Bekoev in 2023 before moving up from middleweight. Fernando has since won five straight, most recently dropping Rafael Tobias with a jab and stopping him with a knee to the body in his August 2026 UFC debut.
I think Billy Elekana is in for a tough night. If Junior Tafa smacked him up, I think Fernando might just put him out. Is he tough? Sure. But I think Fernando dismantles him from the outside and when Billy tries to close distance, he’ll get chewed up. I feel like Billy is going to get desperate looking for something in the early ongoings of the fight and gets put to sleep.
Priscila Cachoeira vs. Nina Milošević
Priscila Cachoeira is an orthodox, pressure-first brawler who marches forward throwing heavy hooks and overhand rights, looking to draw opponents into exchanges. She has genuine knockout power, but her willingness to trade leaves her easy to hit, and she absorbs far more significant strikes than she lands. Her ground game is a major weakness: she rarely initiates grappling and has repeatedly been submitted when opponents take the fight to the mat. After knocking out Josiane Nunes in March 2025, she was stopped by Joselyne Edwards and then outpointed by Klaudia Sygula. Chelsea Chandler submitted her with a first-round armbar in June 2026, leaving Cachoeira on a three-fight losing streak.
Nina Milošević is an orthodox bantamweight with a karate background who uses straight punches, front kicks and close-range knees to attack at different levels. She’s also a strong clinch grappler who uses trips and takedowns to establish top control, land ground strikes and work toward rear-naked chokes. Her striking is generally composed, although she sometimes swings too wide in exchanges and leaves openings for counters. A two-time IMMAF world champion, she has won nine straight fights since a split-decision loss in her professional debut. She made her UFC debut in August 2026, stopping Hailey Cowan with body punches in the first round, but has yet to show much of her grappling against UFC opposition.
Oh boy, I think this is gonna be a weird fight. Priscila’s MMA career has been a tough one. Visa troubles, weight troubles, USADA troubles, knee troubles… yikes. She’s on a three-fight losing streak and is 1-4 in her last five, having been finished in three of those losses. Tough. It’s undoubtedly a must-win situation for her, but even with a victory, she might not get re-signed. The upside for Cachoeira, and it’s always a huge upside in WMMA, is P O W E R. She’s got power! Despite her losses, she’s also faced a higher caliber of competition.
Nina? I’m just not impressed. I think her defensive reactions are pretty bad, she’s easily hit, and her striking at range doesn’t particularly impress me. Sure, she’s doing what she needs to do to put away these schlubs, so I can’t knock her for that. But how would Nina fare against Jasmine Jasudavicius, Joselyne Edwards… fuck, even Chelsea Chandler? I’m not so certain.
I gotta admit, there’s something inside me that pulls beneath the surface, wanting me to pick Cachoeira for the upset. -500 is a ridiculous number. Between you and me, I might throw a sprinkle on Cachoeira to pull off the upset. But for a straight pick? That Edwards KO keeps playing on repeat in my mind. Cachoeira is terrible on the ground, and her knees are shot.
Sorry, Priscila.
Mitch Raposo vs. Marcos Degli
Mitch Raposo is a switch-stance flyweight with a wrestling background who moves around the outside, looks for his right hand and left body kick, and mixes in takedowns. He can chain wrestling attempts together and control opponents on top, but he has struggled to land takedowns consistently against UFC competition. His striking output is low, leaving him vulnerable to being outworked on the feet, as happened against the longer Sumudaerji. After losing split decisions in his first two UFC fights, he rebounded with wins over Azat Maksum and Allan Nascimento. Both came by decision, so he is still searching for his first UFC finish.
Marcos Degli is an orthodox flyweight who occasionally switches stances and fights with an aggressive Muay Thai style, using hard leg kicks and powerful punches to the body. He’s particularly dangerous at close range, where he throws elbows and looks to overwhelm opponents with offense. His forward pressure can leave his footwork and defense loose, but he’s also a capable grappler who scrambles well and looks to take the back. A Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, he earned his UFC contract by submitting Paris Moran with a one-arm rear-naked choke in September 2026. Degli enters his UFC debut on a 13-fight winning streak, with four of his last five victories coming by knockout or TKO.
Raposo is tough and has some boxing skills. I could see this being competitive on the feet, but Degli looks to be the more well-rounded fighter. He’s an inch taller, holds the reach advantage, and has faced a higher caliber of competition. This should be a good fight. Degli would be smart to push the action and break Raposo’s decision streak, and I think he’ll do just that. He seems like the kind of fighter who shines brighter when all eyes are on him.
PRELIMS
Keiichiro Nakamura vs. Ollie Schmid
Keiichiro Nakamura is a southpaw featherweight who likes to press forward behind straight left hands, low kicks and punching combinations. He also throws sharp knees and elbows when opponents close distance, with knees accounting for his two most recent knockout victories. He does most of his work on the feet and has shown solid takedown defense, but he can fall behind against busier strikers when his own output drops. Sebastian Szalay outworked him through the first two rounds of their January 2026 fight, but Nakamura rallied and finished him with a knee and follow-up punches in the third. That victory earned him the Road to UFC featherweight title and extended his winning streak to eight since losing his professional debut.
Ollie Schmid is an orthodox featherweight with a taekwondo background who fights primarily on the feet, using low kicks, straight punches and occasional spinning attacks. He likes to press forward behind punching combinations and leg kicks, and his unconventional offense produced a 15-second spinning-backfist knockout of Jeffrey Mesa in March 2026. His forward entries can leave him open to counters, while his wrestling and ground game remain largely untested at UFC level. That defensive weakness showed in his short-notice UFC debut against Marwan Rahiki in May 2026, when he was caught coming forward and stopped with punches in the first round. Schmid enters with a 4-3 professional record, with all three of his knockout wins coming in the first round.
In my opinion, this fight feels very mid-tier regional level. Perhaps that’s a harsh judgment on my part, but I feel like both of these guys will get eaten alive in this division.
I want to be kind to Ollie because he seems like an action fighter. He’s got some skills and he’s trying things out, but it looks like he learned all the cool shit in his living room and is now going out there playing MMA. Nakamura, on the other hand, has more composure, and his skills come together more cohesively than Ollie’s. But I’m not particularly impressed by him either.
It wouldn’t blow my balls off if Ollie pulled off some shit Nakamura didn’t see coming and knocked him out, which is why I’m confused by Nakamura being a -375 favorite. This could be a weird fight, especially if Ollie has taken note of Nakamura’s intercepting counters, which might make him hesitant to shoot for takedowns. That could turn this into a stand-up affair, and it’s gonna be wacky. Just look at the striking stats. Nakamura lands four and eats four.
Strange fight, but I’ll roll with the southpaw counterstriker who has faced a higher caliber of competition. That said, I wouldn’t be surprised in the slightest if Ollie pulled off the upset.
Gabriel Lorenco vs. Thomas Petersen
Gabriel Lorenco is an orthodox heavyweight and kickboxer who uses lateral movement, hard low kicks and looping counters to create openings for his right hand. He is comfortable fighting off the back foot but will also trade heavy punches at close range, leaving himself open to return fire. He has a guillotine submission on his record, although his wrestling and ground defense remain largely untested against high-level heavyweights. Since losing his professional debut in 2021, he has won eight straight fights, seven of them in the first round. He earned his UFC contract in September 2026 by dropping Charlie Cleveland with a right hand and finishing him with an elbow and hammerfists.
Thomas Petersen is a southpaw heavyweight and former national junior-college wrestling champion who prefers to press forward behind basic boxing and force opponents toward the fence. He works persistently for takedowns, using top pressure and ground strikes to win rounds rather than hunting submissions. His striking is effective when he can dictate the pace, but he lacks speed and can be hurt by more explosive punchers. Shamil Gaziev and Vitor Petrino both stopped him with punches in 2025, although he has also earned decision wins over Don’Tale Mayes and Guilherme Pat. He last fought in July 2026, when Valter Walker submitted him with a first-round calf slicer.
I’m showing blind support for my northern brethren, Thomas Petersen. He’s got some wrestling, he’s from Minnesota, and he’s a southpaw. I’m honestly a bit surprised he’s the slight favorite right now, and I imagine that will change by the time the odds close. But perhaps people just aren’t convinced by Lourenco yet because he hasn’t really fought anyone. For those not blindly loyal to Thomas Petersen, yes, it’s probably a good idea to roll with Lourenco by KO.
As for me, I’m picking Petersen to survive and turn this into a grindy fight.
Karine Silva vs. Gabriella Fernandes
Karine Silva is an orthodox flyweight who throws hard right hands and low kicks but tends to attack in bursts rather than maintain a high striking volume. A Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, she is particularly dangerous in scrambles, where she attacks guillotines, leg locks and other submissions; her first three UFC wins all came by first-round submission. Her takedown defense and work against sustained clinch pressure are less reliable, and her offense often slows as fights go longer. Opponents who survive her early attacks have increasingly been able to outwork or control her, as Maycee Barber and Jasmine Jasudavicius did in her last two bouts. She has lost three of her last four fights, with her unanimous decision over Dione Barbosa in August 2025 the lone win.
Gabriella Fernandes is a southpaw flyweight with a taekwondo background who prefers to strike at range, mixing left-hand counters, body punches and kicks to the legs and head. She can be dangerous when she finds her timing, and she dropped Wang Cong with a left hand before taking the back for a rear-naked choke in November 2024. Although she holds a Brazilian jiu-jitsu brown belt, she rarely initiates wrestling and has struggled to escape prolonged control from stronger grapplers. She also absorbs too many clean shots in exchanges, a weakness exposed when Casey O’Neill knocked her out with punches in March 2026. That defeat snapped a three-fight winning streak that included decisions over Carli Judice and Julija Stoliarenko.
I hate this fight and everything about it. In theory, Karine Silva should come out here and take Fernandes down and tap her out via rear naked choke in the first round. That’s what I’m going with.
Jose Delano vs. Murtazali Magomedov
Jose Delano is a primarily southpaw featherweight who switches stances and uses quick lateral movement to create angles for his straight left hand and crisp punching combinations. He mixes punches to the head and body with long kicks, and can intercept opponents with knees or elbows when they close distance. His sprawl and counter-wrestling are strong, although his offense can become punch-heavy and he sometimes needs time to find his range. Since being knocked out by Gabriel Santos in January 2023, he has won five straight fights, including a dominant decision over Manuel Exposito on Dana White’s Contender Series. He won his UFC debut against Robert Ruchała in April 2026, landing cleaner combinations as the fight progressed.
Murtazali Magomedov is an orthodox featherweight with a wrestling background who presses forward behind a sharp jab, straight right and punches in close. He mixes those strikes with takedowns, strong back control and a varied submission game that includes chokes, armbars and the modified twister. Opponents have landed kicks before he closes distance, while his habit of finishing fights early leaves his endurance over three full rounds untested. He hurt Brahyam Zurcher with a jab and finished him with punches on Dana White’s Contender Series in September 2025. In his June 2026 UFC debut, he submitted Melsik Baghdasaryan with a first-round twister, improving to 11-0 with all his wins by stoppage.
Delano is the more disciplined striker, using movement, combinations and kicks to manage distance. The concern is whether his kicking game creates opportunities for Magomedov to wrestle. Magomedov has excellent offensive grappling and carries considerably more finishing danger. I very much like Delano’s output and Magomedov’s output is pretty good, too. I think this might a fucking banger of a fight. Give me Delano to rope Magomedov into a striking match, does damage, and that will outweigh the control time. Listen, people always say don’t kick a wrestler but I think they’re actually going to give Magomedov problems.
Austin Bashi vs. Carlos Calderon
Austin Bashi is an orthodox featherweight and pressure wrestler who uses basic punches and kicks to close distance before chaining together takedown attempts. He’s most dangerous on top, where he controls opponents, advances through scrambles and looks to take the back for a rear-naked choke. His striking is still developing, and his shorter stature makes it difficult to deal with longer opponents who can defend his wrestling and keep the fight standing. Christian Rodriguez and Jose Miguel Delgado both beat him by decision, with Bashi completing just three of 14 takedown attempts against Delgado in July 2026. His lone UFC win came in August 2025, when he submitted John Yannis with a first-round rear-naked choke.
Carlos Calderon is a southpaw featherweight who presses forward behind a jab and straight left hand, often wading into punching exchanges rather than staying at range. He mixes that pressure boxing with body-lock takedowns and aggressive scrambling, and he looks for guillotines and rear-naked chokes when opponents give him an opening. His willingness to charge forward can expose him to counter rights and front-headlock submissions, as Alberto Montes showed in their 2024 Contender Series fight. Calderon has won four of his last five, including a fourth-round submission of Damon Jackson and a five-round decision over Lorram Esteves to defend his Fury FC title. He accepted his UFC debut against Austin Bashi on just four days’ notice.
What can we say? Short notice fight, Bashi is understandably the favorite although, again, -500 is insane. 5 weeks ago Calderon fought five rounds in a title fight. That signals to me that this dude is durable and has conditioning. Is Bashi gonna wrestle this dude? I suppose he only needs to secure two rounds. I’m not exactly high on Austin Bashi but I’ll pick him to win.
Mantas Kondratavičius vs. Andre Petroski
Mantas Kondratavičius is an orthodox middleweight with a kickboxing and combat-sambo background who presses forward behind heavy right hands, front kicks and explosive knees. He’s most dangerous when he forces exchanges or clinches, where he uses short elbows, knees and punches before adding takedowns and ground-and-pound. His aggression can be messy, as he tends to rush in on straight lines with single power shots and can be caught cleanly by counters. He earned his UFC contract by dropping Đani Barbir with an overhand right and finishing him with punches in September 2025. In March 2026, he beat Antonio Trocoli by unanimous decision despite a slower third round, extending his winning streak to four and proving he could go the full 15 minutes.
Andre Petroski is a switch-stance middleweight and strong wrestler who throws looping punches to close distance and set up takedowns. He is at his best controlling opponents from top position, advancing through scrambles and hunting chokes such as the anaconda and arm-triangle. His own takedown defense is reliable, but his striking output is low and his wide punches can leave openings for counters. After three straight decision wins over Josh Fremd, Dylan Budka and Rodolfo Vieira, he dropped a decision to Edmen Shahbazyan in June 2025. Cam Rowston and Cody Brundage then stopped him with punches, extending his losing streak to three and raising serious questions about his durability.
Middleweight slop. I’m not a fan of Petroski, he’s coming off three losses, was knocked out by Cody Brundage. Mantas, taller, longer, younger.
Seokhyeon Ko vs. Wellington Turman
Seokhyeon Ko is a southpaw welterweight with a judo and sambo background who uses low kicks and short punching combinations to close distance for clinch work and takedowns. He is particularly effective from top position, where he maintains heavy pressure, advances to dominant positions and lands ground strikes rather than chasing submissions. His striking is serviceable, but his offense becomes less effective when opponents can defend his takedowns and force prolonged exchanges. He controlled Oban Elliott and Phil Rowe for more than ten minutes apiece in consecutive UFC decision wins. In July 2026, Jean-Paul Lebosnoyani defended all four of his takedown attempts and outworked him late, handing Ko his first UFC defeat.
Wellington Turman is an orthodox welterweight and Brazilian jiu-jitsu specialist who uses punches and low kicks to close distance and look for takedowns. He’s particularly dangerous in scrambles and off his back, attacking guillotines, rear-naked chokes and armbars, as he showed by submitting Misha Cirkunov from his guard in 2022. His takedowns are not especially reliable, and his poor striking and takedown defense leave him vulnerable to both pressure wrestlers and cleaner punchers. Turman has lost three straight to Andre Petroski, Randy Brown and Jared Gooden, last competing in December 2023. He returns after nearly three years away and four surgeries, leaving significant questions about his form and durability.
Tough loss but not a bad one against JPL by Ko. I think Ko was assigned some housekeeping work.
Jonny Parsons vs. José Souza
Jonny Parsons is a switch-stance welterweight with a Muay Thai background who stands tall behind a high guard and throws hard kicks, particularly from southpaw. He mixes short punching combinations with knees, kick catches and foot sweeps, and can deliver heavy ground-and-pound when he gets on top. His upright stance and limited head movement leave openings for straight punches and body shots, while his tendency to trade when hurt can make exchanges dangerous. He earned his UFC contract by outpointing Solomon Renfro in October 2021 and stopped Danny Roberts with punches in a back-and-forth UFC debut in July 2023. Recurring hip-flexor and groin injuries have kept him out since, making his return after more than three years a test of his mobility and conditioning.
José Souza is an orthodox welterweight who uses his 6-foot-3 frame and long reach to work behind a sharp jab, straight right and heavy knees. He has six knockout wins and prefers to strike at range, but tends to hunt for single power shots rather than put together long combinations. He also backs straight up under pressure and can be caught when opponents close distance, while his ground offense remains unproven despite a jiu-jitsu background. Ding Meng troubled him with repeated leg kicks in his May 2026 UFC debut, but Souza landed the cleaner punches and a damaging second-round knee to earn a split decision. That victory extended his winning streak to four since Yusaku Kinoshita stopped him on Dana White’s Contender Series in August 2022.
Souza has a significant size and reach advantage in this fight and Parsons has been off for three years. Sure, Parsons might be able to get inside and land bombs especially if he starts fast. Listen, it’s one thing to have a long layoff if you’re an elite, top-tier fighter who was formerly champion and it’s another if you’re low-tier talent. Totally possible Parsons gets it done but I don’t like it.
