UFC Fight Night Main Card Predictions: Cortes-Acosta vs Walker Odds & Picks

• Waldo Cortes-Acosta meets Johnny Walker in Saturday’s UFC Vegas 124 heavyweight main event
• The co-main event pits Tatiana Suarez’s wrestling against Virna Jandiroba’s ground game
• My UFC Fight Night predictions cover both scorecard spreads and three method-of-victory bets

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Now 1-0 as a UFC heavyweight, Johnny Walker returns to the Meta Apex in a main event against Waldo Cortes-Acosta.

The UFC Vegas 124 main card starts at 8 p.m. ET Saturday, November 7, in Las Vegas, Nevada. Paramount+ carries the six fights in the U.S., featuring a co-headlining bout between former title challengers Tatiana Suarez and Virna Jandiroba.

UFC Fight Night Main Card Predictions & Odds

Method-of-victory and moneyline odds from BetMGM as of Friday. Scorecard spreads from bet365’s November 5 UFC Vegas 124 board. Compare prices on our UFC betting apps page.

Waldo Cortes-Acosta vs Johnny Walker Prediction

• Pick: Cortes-Acosta -5.5 (-150 at bet365)

Walker is coming off a big knockout win over Mick Parkin and needs that same power threat to beat Cortes-Acosta, who is a substantially better boxer and wrestler. But while he can be dangerous with big flying knee or spinning backfist attacks, the Brazilian’s technical striking skills remain a step behind.

‘WCA’ is the more natural heavyweight with better technical striking in between the wild attacks, and he has the wrestling to decide where they fight. Cortes-Acosta has never been knocked down in the UFC, suggesting he has the awareness and defensive prowess to avoid the big bursts from Walker.

Without a momentum-changing moment, Walker will be chasing Cortes-Acosta from behind all night, and he has never fared will in those positions. ‘WCA’ has every advantage in this fight and I favor his point spread.

Tatiana Suarez vs Virna Jandiroba Prediction

• Pick: Jandiroba moneyline (+180 at BetMGM)

Suarez is the younger, stronger athlete. To justify her price, though, she has to keep Jandiroba on the mat for long stretches, which nobody has been able to do. Even in losses to superior grapplers on paper, Jandiroba has won the control battle, but lost striking exchanges.

As athletic as Suarez is, her striking is still a huge work in progress. She has not landed more than 23 significant strikes in a single fight since 2019, and nearly half of her significant strikes landed in the UFC have come on the ground.

Suarez is still a better pure wrestler, but without a rock-solid Plan B, this is a very competitive fight that could come down to a single exchange. In that case, we will take the underdog who has yet to be beaten by Suarez’s game plan.

Davey Grant vs Elijah Smith Prediction

• Pick: Smith by decision (+200 at BetMGM)

Smith has the youth and wrestling advantage here. His slam knockout of Toshiomi Kazama will get attention, but Grant is a tough veteran to put away. I like Smith to use his takedowns to win rounds and leave with a decision.

Billy Elekana vs Lucas Fernando Prediction

• Pick: Fernando by decision (+200 at BetMGM)

I’m less impressed by Elekana’s three-fight winning streak than it might appear on paper. His recent wins have come against a trio of fighters with a combined UFC record of 5-11. Instead of a rising contender, Elekana has just beaten the bottom of the barrel to defend his spot on the roster.

Fernando, 1-0 in the UFC, certainly looks like a bona fide blue-chip prospect. His wide frame gives opponents issues, and I give him the edge in both speed and power over Elekana. The Brazilian is a well-rounded fighter with black belts in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and Muay Thai.

Since losing to Azamat Bekoev and Cesar Almeida in 2023, Fernando has completely transformed himself and beat high-level regional opponents Phil Latu, Leon Soares and Pedro Oliveira to get into the Octagon. He has added several layers to his game and is far from the one-dimensional fighter he once was.

Elekana has been fairly durable throughout his career, giving Fernando the opportunity to showcase his full skill set in a 15-minute decision.

Priscila Cachoeira vs Nina Milosevic Prediction

• Pick: Milosevic by KO/TKO (+150 at BetMGM)

Nina Milosevic burst onto the UFC scene with a first-round knockout win over Hailey Cowan. She now faces power-puncher Priscila Cachoeira in her second appearance, setting up a rare matchup between female knockout artists that could be a guns-blazing affair.

However, Milosevic is also an adept grappler, which has been Cachoeira’s consistent Achilles heel. ‘Zombie Girl’ is always dangerous on the feet, but she is 1-4 in the UFC when she concedes a single takedown.

Milosevic has a high fight IQ and would be wise to take the path of least resistance on the ground. Although she could also win this fight with her striking, she has a massive advantage if she can establish top control and unleash brutal ground-and-pound.

BetMGM groups KO, TKO and disqualification in this market. My prediction is a stoppage from strikes on the ground.

Mitch Raposo vs Marcos Degli Prediction

• Pick: Degli -3.5 (-125 at bet365)

Raposo has collected consecutive wins with his striking, but he needs his wrestling to win here. Striking with the powerful Marcos Degli would not be beneficial for him after getting dropped and nearly finished in his last fight against Allan Nascimento. Raposo has yet to land more than 38 significant strikes in a single fight.

While Raposo has had success wrestling, Degli, a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, is a highly efficient grappler who won his fight on Dana White’s Contender Series by submission. Degli has sufficient takedown defense and is a strong scrambler from top and bottom position.

On the feet I see a clear power advantage for Degli, enough to lay the points. Degli has the power to hurt and stop Raposo, as well as the patience to dominate over three rounds.