Heavyweights Save the Day and Put on a Show at UFC Vegas 124
The heavyweights saved the day and delivered a main event worthy of the UFC Vegas 124 spotlight.
The original main event was scheduled to feature Sean Brady vs. Gabriel Bonfim. However, by Tuesday, Brady had withdrawn due to a staph infection in his knee. With the card suddenly in need of a new headliner, Waldo Cortes-Acosta and Johnny Walker stepped up, bravely accepting the matchup on just 11 days’ notice.
The short-notice pairing delivered fireworks.
Walker showcased his quick lateral movement, chopping away at Cortes-Acosta’s legs while looking to stay out of range of the heavy-handed contender. The sixth-ranked Cortes-Acosta continued to pressure forward, connecting with powerful punches and giving Walker a bloody nose.
The fight came to a sudden end in the third round. As Cortes-Acosta charged forward, Walker retreated and unleashed a right backfist followed by a right hook. Cortes-Acosta went down and was unable to recover, giving Walker a massive knockout victory and an opportunity to break into the heavyweight rankings.
The co-main event delivered the grappling battle it promised, with two seasoned specialists going to work on the mat. Tatiana Suarez used her wrestling to control Virna Jandiroba for much of the 15-minute contest, earning a convincing victory and extending her winning streak to three.
Elijah Smith made quick work of Davey Grant, closing the distance and unleashing heavy combinations in the pocket. A left hook sent Grant crashing to the canvas, and a follow-up right hook ended the fight in just one minute. Smith improved to 4-0 inside the UFC with a statement performance in what was the final fight of his current UFC contract.
Lucas Fernando battered Bill Elekana with knees to the body in the clinch during the opening round before taking control with his boxing in the second. To Elekana’s credit, he mounted a spirited comeback attempt in the third, taking Fernando to the ground, but couldn’t complete the turnaround.
Olli Schmid earned his first UFC victory, slowing the momentum of Road to the UFC winner Keiichiro Nakamura. Schmid survived a furious third-round push from Nakamura, doing enough damage with his more effective and powerful boxing in the first two rounds to secure the decision.
Thomas Petersen overcame considerable adversity against Gabriel Lorenco. Petersen survived an illegal knee and two knockdowns in the opening round before turning the tide in the second, dropping Lorenco with a straight left. In the third, Petersen used a single-leg takedown to put Lorenco on his back before pounding his way to the finish.
Karine Silva outpointed Gabriella Fernandes in a highly competitive contest, earning a split-decision victory.
Murtazali Magomedov kept his unbeaten record intact but was pushed to the limit by Jose Delano. The Brazilian striker established a high pace in the opening round, forcing Magomedov to rely on his wrestling to work his way back into the fight. With the contest hanging in the balance down the stretch, Magomedov landed a right hook that scored a crucial knockdown in the final minute, helping secure the victory.
Austin Bashi made quick work of short-notice opponent Carlos Calderon. Bashi took the fight to the ground, worked his way to the back, and secured a rear-naked choke in just 67 seconds.
Andre Petroski overcame a difficult start on the feet against Mantas Kondratavičius, eventually getting the fight to the ground and using his ground-and-pound to earn a second-round TKO.
Seko Hyeon Ko put together a dominant performance against Wellington Turman, using a stifling top game to control the action and earn a convincing unanimous-decision victory.
Jose Souza closed out the card in impressive fashion, displaying crisp boxing before connecting with a right uppercut-left hook combination that stopped Jonny Parsons in the first round.
While the card had to overcome a major change at the top, Walker and Cortes-Acosta made the most of their opportunity. The heavyweight division delivered the kind of violence and excitement that reminded everyone why these short-notice opportunities can sometimes produce the night’s biggest moments.
UFC Vegas 124 Main Card
- Heavyweight: Johnny Walker (24-10) def. Waldo Cortes-Acosta by KO (Right Backlist & Right Hook) 2:27 R3
- Women’s Strawweight: Tatiana Suarez (13-1) def. Virna Jandiroba (23-5) by (29-28, 30-27 x2) Unanimous Decision
- Bantamweight: Elijah Smith (11-1) def. Davey Grant (16-9) by KO (Left Hook- Right Hook) 1:00 R1
- Light Heavyweight: Lucas Fernando (15-3) def. Billy Elekana (10-3) by (29-28 x3) Unanimous Decision
- Women’s Bantamweight: Nina Milosevic (10-1) def. Priscila Cachoeira (13-10) by TKO (Ground Strikes) 3:40 R2
- Flyweight: Mitch Raposo (12-3) def. Marcos Degli (15-4) by (29-28 x3) Unanimous Decision
Prelims Card
- Featherweight: Ollie Schmid (5-3) def. Keiichiro Nakamura (8-2) by (29-28 x3) Unanimous Decision
- Heavyweight: Thomas Petersen (12-5) def. Gabriel Lorenço (8-2) by TKO (Ground Strikes) 4:47 R3
- Women’s Flyweight: Karine Silva (20-7) def. Gabriella Fernandes (11-5) by (29-28 x3) Unanimous Decision
- Featherweight: Murtazali Magomedov (12-0) def. Jose Delano (17-4) by (29-28 x3) Unanimous Decision
- Featherweight: Austin Bashi (14-2) def. Carlos Calderon (11-4) by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) 1:07 R1
- Middleweight: Andre Petroski (14-6) def. Mantas Kondratavičius (9-2) by TKO (Ground Strikes from Mount) 4:39 R1
- Welterweight: Seok Hyeon Ko (14-3) def. Wellington Turman (18-9) by (30-27 x3) Unanimous Decision
- Welterweight: Jose Souza (10-1) def. Jonny Parsons (9-4) by KO (Right Uppercut & Left Hook) 4:16 R1
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