UFC Vegas 124: Johnny Walker Steps Into Main Event After Sean Brady Injury

The UFC has confirmed a new main event for UFC Vegas 124, set for Saturday, November 7, 2026, at the Meta APEX in Las Vegas. Brazil’s Johnny Walker now meets the Dominican Republic’s Waldo Cortes-Acosta at heavyweight, after Sean Brady withdrew with an injury from his welterweight headliner against Gabriel Bonfim. Here is what changed, who the new headliners are, and the rest of the card.

01Brady Out, Bonfim Left Without an Opponent

Sean Brady pulled out of his scheduled bout against Gabriel Bonfim due to an injury, nine days before the event. Bonfim confirmed on social media that he was no longer on the card. The UFC could not find a replacement at the same weight in time and instead rebuilt its headliner around a heavyweight bout already booked lower on the card, between Johnny Walker and Waldo Cortes-Acosta. The move was first reported by Brazilian journalist Laerte Viana before being picked up by several American MMA outlets.

02Walker and Cortes-Acosta Both Chase the Finish

Johnny Walker (23-10, 1 NC), 6-foot-5 (1.96 m) with an 82-inch (2.08 m) reach, fought at light heavyweight through 2026, after moving there from Brazil’s regional scene earlier in his career. He validated his move up to heavyweight in October at UFC 332, stopping Mick Parkin in the first round for a Performance of the Night bonus. Before that win, he was coming off a split-decision loss to Dominick Reyes. He had previously lost by knockout to Magomed Ankalaev and Volkan Oezdemir at light heavyweight.

Across the cage, the Dominican Republic’s Waldo Cortes-Acosta, nicknamed Salsa Boy (17-3), 6-foot-4 (1.93 m) and 264 pounds (120 kg), is coming off back-to-back decision losses, to Alexander Volkov and then to Curtis Blaydes. Before that skid, he strung together a run of quick finishes, including first-round stoppages of Ante Delija and Shamil Gaziev and a TKO win over Derrick Lewis, sandwiched around a decision over Serghei Spivac.

03Suarez-Jandiroba Carries Title Implications

The co-main event pits strawweights Tatiana Suarez and Virna Jandiroba against each other. Ranked second by UFC Media and third by UFC Meta, Suarez has reeled off wins since returning from injury in 2023, with her only loss in that stretch coming against champion Zhang Weili in her lone UFC title fight. Brazil’s Jandiroba, a former Invicta FC champion who holds the reverse rankings, has won five straight since a decision loss to Mackenzie Dern for the vacant title, most recently a dominant decision over Tabatha Ricci. The winner is expected to earn another shot at Dern’s title, a rematch neither former challenger has yet secured.

04Rest of the Card

The main card also features a flyweight bout between Karine Silva and Gabriella Fernandes and a bantamweight matchup between Davey Grant and Elijah Smith. At welterweight, Jose Henrique Souza meets Jonny Parsons. The preliminary card is headlined by a featherweight bout between Jose Delano and Murtazali Magomedov, with Seok Hyeon Ko facing Wellington Turman at welterweight and Billy Elekana meeting Lucas Fernando at light heavyweight. Several more preliminary bouts round out an eleven-fight card, though the UFC noted that the bout order and some matchups could still change before fight night.

05Date, Venue and How to Watch

The start times below were issued for the card before the main event change and may still shift ahead of November 7.

In the United States, UFC Vegas 124 streams live on Paramount+, the promotion’s broadcast partner.

Johnny Walker and Waldo Cortes-Acosta both chase the finish at heavyweight: our ranking of 4oz MMA fight gloves by brand compares the best model from every manufacturer.