Johnny Walker KOs Waldo Cortes-Acosta at UFC Vegas 124
The Brazilian survived a first-round knockdown and finished the No. 6 heavyweight in the third: “Who don’t have a chin now?”
Johnny Walker knocked out Waldo Cortes-Acosta at 2:27 of the third round in the UFC Vegas 124 main event on Saturday, November 7, at the Meta Apex in Las Vegas. The Brazilian was dropped in the first round, spent the second on his back and turned the fight around with a head kick, a backfist and a barrage of punches.
It was Walker’s second win in two fights at heavyweight. Cortes-Acosta came in ranked No. 6 in the division and left with his third straight loss.
How Walker came back against Cortes-Acosta
The start went badly for Walker. In the first round, Cortes-Acosta landed a flurry that put him down, though he got back up quickly. In the second, the Dominican took the fight to the mat and punished him from top position with elbows and hammerfists.
In the third, Walker landed a question mark kick and followed with a backfist. Cortes-Acosta lost his balance, went down from a right hook and absorbed punches on the ground until the stoppage.
Both fighters earned Fight of the Night, a $100,000 bonus each.
Walker’s answer to questions about his chin
Walker spent fight week hearing that he could not take a heavyweight’s punch. After the fight, he pointed to the knockdowns he survived as proof. “Who don’t have a chin now? This was just to prove to everyone,” he said.
In comments reported by Yahoo Sports, Walker said he feels stronger since he stopped cutting down to light heavyweight, where he spent most of his UFC career. “I’m happy with my career at light heavyweight. Now I’m going to do a new career at heavyweight,” he said.
His heavyweight debut came in October at UFC 332, a first-round knee knockout of England’s Mick Parkin.
A short-notice main event
The matchup was not part of the original plan. UFC Vegas 124 was supposed to be headlined by Gabriel Bonfim and Sean Brady, but Brady withdrew in late October with a staph infection, as VF Comunica reported when the UFC went looking for a replacement. The promotion rebuilt the card around the two heavyweights.
During fight week, Walker also addressed another storyline in the division. In an interview with MMA Fighting, he ruled out fighting his half-brother Valter Walker, who also competes at heavyweight in the UFC. With a win over a top-10 opponent, the brothers are now chasing the same part of the rankings.
The division’s next chapter is set. On Saturday, November 14, Ciryl Gane defends the heavyweight title against Josh Hokit at UFC 334 at Madison Square Garden in New York. According to Yahoo Sports, Walker said he plans to be there.
The night in Las Vegas also included a loss for Virna Jandiroba against Tatiana Suarez by unanimous decision in the co-main event.
UFC Vegas 124 full results
Main card
- Johnny Walker def. Waldo Cortes-Acosta by TKO (punches) at 2:27 of Round 3
- Tatiana Suarez def. Virna Jandiroba by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
- Elijah Smith def. Davey Grant by KO (punches) at 1:00 of Round 1
- Lucas Fernando def. Billy Elekana by unanimous decision (29-28 x3)
- Nina Nikolija Milosevic def. Priscila Cachoeira by TKO (elbows and punches) at 3:40 of Round 2
- Mitch Raposo def. Marcos Degli by unanimous decision (29-28 x3)
Prelims
- Oliver Schmid def. Keiichiro Nakamura by unanimous decision (29-28 x3)
- Thomas Petersen def. Gabriel Lourenco by TKO (punches) at 4:47 of Round 3
- Karine Silva def. Gabriella Fernandes by unanimous decision (29-28 x3)
- Murtazali Magomedov def. Jose Mauro Delano by unanimous decision (29-28 x3)
- Austin Bashi def. Carlos Calderon by submission (rear-naked choke) at 1:07 of Round 1
- Andre Petroski def. Mantas Kondratavicius by TKO (punches) at 4:39 of Round 2
- Seok Hyeon Ko def. Wellington Turman by unanimous decision (30-27 x3)
- Jose Henrique Souza def. Jonny Parsons by KO (punches) at 4:16 of Round 1
After two knockouts at heavyweight, does Johnny Walker deserve a top-5 opponent next, or does he still have more to prove? Tell us in the comments.
Read more:
- Johnny Walker rules out UFC fight with brother Valter Walker
- Gabriel Bonfim loses Sean Brady, UFC hunts for a replacement
- Virna Jandiroba vs. Tatiana Suarez: UFC Vegas 124 start time
