A heavyweight headliner saw Brazilian contender Johnny Walker emerge as a potential star, knocking out Waldo Cortes Acosta in the third round at 2:27 with a barrage of strikes that began with a head kick to cap UFC Fight Night at the Meta APEX in Las Vegas on Saturday night.
Walker (24-10) has finished 22 of his 24 victories and emphasized his desire to remain in the heavyweight title conversation ahead of next Saturday’s UFC 334 main event between Ciryl Gane and Josh Hokit for the vacant belt in New York City.
“I feed off the (negative) energy,” Walker said as he looked toward the crowd after the fight. “I love you guys.”
Cortes Acosta (17-5), of the Dominican Republic, had his losing streak extended to three fights.
The co-main event featured a women’s strawweight bout in which former UFC title challenger Virna Jandiroba of Brazil was overwhelmed by Tatiana Suarez’s dominant wrestling. Suarez used her grappling advantage, including a near head-and-arm choke, to earn a unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28). Suarez (14-1) called for a title shot next, while Jandiroba (23-5) has lost two of her last three fights.
At bantamweight, Elijah Smith needed just a minute in the first round to knock out England’s Davey Grant with a series of strikes against the fence and a finishing combination that sent Grant to the canvas. Smith (11-1) remains unbeaten under the UFC banner, while Grant (18-9) has lost two of his last three.
Brazil’s Lucas Fernando earned a unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) over Billy Elekana in a light heavyweight bout, extending his winning streak to six fights. Fernando (15-3) used the clinch to wear down Elekana but could not secure a stoppage. Elekana (10-3) had his three-fight winning streak snapped. The streak dated to July 2025.
Serbia’s Nina Milosevic (10-1) made quick work of Brazilian veteran Priscila Cachoeira (13-10), earning a second-round TKO at 3:40 for her second consecutive stoppage victory inside the Octagon.
Milosevic sprinted across the Octagon at the opening bell, taking Cachoeira to the mat within the first five seconds and immediately pursuing a rear-naked choke while landing short strikes from top control with Cachoeira face down. Cachoeira weathered the initial barrage to survive the opening round, but Milosevic wasted little time taking the fight back to the canvas in the second. She transitioned to a dominant position and unleashed heavy ground-and-pound until the referee intervened.
In the main-card opener, flyweight Mitch Raposo (12-3) earned his third consecutive victory, taking a unanimous decision over Brazil’s Marcos Degli (15-4) with identical 29-28 scorecards.
Raposo set the tone early with relentless forward pressure and high-volume boxing, keeping the debuting Contender Series signee on his heels. Degli found success with heavy counters and opened a cut on Raposo early in the third round, but the Massachusetts native refused to give ground, pushing the pace and landing cleaner combinations through the final round to snap Degli’s 13-fight winning streak.
–Field Level Media
