Johnny Walker faces Waldo Cortes-Acosta in short-notice UFC Vegas 124 main event

Johnny Walker is scheduled to face Waldo Cortes-Acosta in the heavyweight main event of UFC Vegas 124 on Saturday, Nov. 7, 2026. UFC has announced Walker as the headliner, five weeks after his winning debut in the division.

Guilherme Cruz of MMA Fighting reports that Walker and Cortes-Acosta accepted the fight on eight days’ notice. They replaced Sean Brady versus Gabriel Bonfim, which was canceled because of a Brady injury, according to Cruz.

Walker knocked out Mick Parkin with a flying knee at UFC 332 in October, according to Cruz. He had been looking toward a different opponent and a later return: Walker told MMA Fighting he had asked to fight Derrick Lewis in January and planned to spend Christmas in Ireland with his wife’s family.