Waldo Cortes-Acosta will face Johnny Walker in the new main event of UFC Vegas 124. Sean Brady is out of the card due to a staph infection, and Gabriel Bonfim will not remain on the card.
Johnny Walker is reportedly set to headline UFC Vegas 124 against Waldo Cortes-Acosta after a pair of changes reshaped the card. The pairing has not been officially confirmed.
The reshuffle follows the withdrawal of Sean Brady, who is out due to a staph infection. Gabriel Bonfim, meanwhile, is not expected to remain on the card, according to the report.
Johnny Walker
Walker, a 34-year-old Brazilian who trains at SBG Ireland, brings a 23-10 record into the matchup. He is coming off a first-round KO/TKO of Mick Parkin on October 3, 2026, at UFC 332, a result that came less than a month before this card. Before that, he dropped a split decision to Dominick Reyes in April 2026, and he stopped Zhang Mingyang in the second round in August 2025.
Walker is a physical outlier, standing six-foot-six (198 cm) with an 82-inch (208 cm) reach. He lands 3.98 significant strikes per minute at 55 percent accuracy, though his takedown rate of 0.35 per 15 minutes shows he is overwhelmingly a striker.
Waldo Cortes-Acosta
Cortes-Acosta is the other half of the new main event. No verified statistics or recent bout history for him are on hand, so the Walker side of the matchup is the better documented.
The fighters who left the card
Brady, 33, is a ranked welterweight at number six with a 19-2 record. He beat Joaquin Buckley by unanimous decision at UFC 328 in May 2026, and his takedown average of 3.53 per 15 minutes is among the hallmarks of his grappling-heavy style.
Bonfim, 29, is ranked fifth at welterweight and carries a 19-1 record. His most recent recorded fight was a unanimous decision win over Belal Muhammad in June 2026, and he has won three straight in the records, including a second-round stoppage of Randy Brown.
Why it matters
- Walker would be fighting for the second time in roughly four weeks, following his October 3 knockout win.
- Two ranked welterweights are no longer part of the card, which changes the depth of the lineup.
- Walker's reach and height advantages make him a distinctive stylistic test for any opponent.
