Undefeated welterweight Jacobe Smith has accepted a short-notice bout against Randy Brown at UFC Vegas 123 in Las Vegas on October 31. Brown was left without an opponent after Carlos Leal withdrew with an injury. The fight stands as the co-main event of the Halloween card. Smith arrives off a recent win over Bruce Whitehead, while Brown is looking to rebound from two recent losses.
Undefeated welterweight Jacobe Smith has stepped in on short notice to face Randy Brown in the co-main event of UFC Vegas 123, set for Las Vegas on October 31. Brown was left without an opponent when Carlos Leal withdrew from the fight with an injury.
Smith, a 30-year-old American fighting out of Fortis MMA, is 13-0. He comes in off a first-round KO/TKO of Bruce Whitehead at UFC 332 on October 3, which means he is turning around in 28 days. That win was his third straight stoppage-or-submission finish in his most recent recorded fights, following a first-round KO/TKO of Josiah Harrell in February and a second-round submission of Niko Price in June 2025. The southpaw lands 6.91 significant strikes per minute at 67 percent accuracy and averages 7.92 takedowns per 15 minutes, with 0.7 submission attempts in the same span.
Brown, a 36-year-old Jamaican welterweight who trains at Budokan Martial Arts Academy, is 20-8. He is looking to rebound from two straight losses: a second-round KO/TKO against Gabriel Bonfim in November 2025 and a unanimous decision defeat to Kevin Holland in April. His most recent recorded win came in April 2025, a second-round KO/TKO of Nicolas Dalby. Brown lands 4.49 significant strikes per minute at 47 percent accuracy and averages 0.76 takedowns per 15 minutes.
Why it matters
- Physical gap: Brown stands six-foot-three (191 cm) with a 78-inch reach, compared with Smith's five-foot-ten (178 cm) and 72-inch reach. That is a three-inch height edge and a six-inch reach advantage for Brown.
- Grappling contrast: Smith's takedown rate of 7.92 per 15 minutes is more than ten times Brown's 0.76, which makes the wrestling exchanges a central storyline.
- Age and activity: Smith is six years younger than Brown and is fighting for the second time in under a month, while Brown is trying to avoid a third consecutive loss.
- Unbeaten record: Smith puts his perfect mark on the line against a veteran with eight career defeats.
Leal, 23-7, had been the original opponent for Brown. He won a unanimous decision over Chidi Njokuani in February, his most recent recorded fight.
Randy Brown vs Carlos Leal
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