UFC Vegas 124 Predictions & Best Bets: Cortes-Acosta vs. Walker (Full Card Picks)

The UFC is back at Meta APEX in Las Vegas this Saturday, November 7, and the warehouse card got a late heavyweight makeover. Waldo Cortes-Acosta and Johnny Walker headline UFC Vegas 124 in a five-round heavyweight main event after Sean Brady came off, with Tatiana Suarez vs. Virna Jandiroba right behind it. Prelims start at 2 p.m. PT and the main card at 5 p.m. PT, both on Paramount+. Olin and Pip broke down all 14 fights on the Predictions & Best Bets stream while Nano sat this one out. The bout order kept shifting all week, the odds are full of pick'ems, and the show still went heavy on parlays and round robins. Here's how the two-man room sees every matchup. Watch the full episode, Cortes-Acosta vs. Walker Predictions & Best Bets, on the MMAnomaly YouTube channel.

Main Card Picks

Waldo Cortes-Acosta vs. Johnny Walker (Heavyweight, Five Rounds)

A short-notice heavyweight main event with real chaos baked in. Pip opened with Cortes-Acosta by knockout, round two. Walker just knocked out Mick Parkin in his heavyweight debut and looks bigger, longer and more athletic at 265, but Pip still doesn't trust the chin against a pressure boxer. Waldo marches forward, throws heavy hands, has never been finished and has historically given free-swinging athletes problems. Olin called it a fantastic, chaotic fight and still rolled with Cortes-Acosta by knockout. Walker's head movement is almost nonexistent, his knockouts tend to be Looney Tunes level, and Olin sees Waldo's fastball special landing clean once the pocket gets messy. Both hosts understand why people are betting Walker after Waldo's recent losses to higher-level heavyweights, but stylistically they cannot fade Salsa Boy.

Tatiana Suarez vs. Virna Jandiroba (Women's Strawweight)

The co-main might be the real fight of the night. Both hosts took the dog. Olin leaned Virna Jandiroba, citing Brazilian slickness, scramble IQ and Suarez's habit of overcommitting on entries. He can see a ground-and-pound TKO, a submission or a tight decision, and he made Virna his dog of the week around +173 on the show. Pip made it a sweep with Jandiroba by unanimous decision. Virna is six-and-one in her last seven with the only recent loss to champion Mackenzie Dern, and Pip thinks her grappling ages better than Suarez's explosive athletic edge. Suarez is hittable, aggressive and dangerous, but the show expects Virna to force transitions and edge a competitive scrap.

Davey Grant vs. Elijah Smith (Bantamweight)

The first real split of the night. Pip went prospect: Elijah Smith by knockout, round one. Smith is undefeated in the UFC, well-rounded and patient, and Pip thinks Grant's recent cage-trapped exchanges against Martinetti and Blackshear are a bad look against a blitzer with speed and wrestling upside. Olin refused to fade the vet: Davey Grant. He expects Grant to chop the legs, dig the body and make every minute past five work in his favor. Grant beats the guys he is not supposed to beat, and Olin is ready to crash out on Pip if Davey loses.

Billy Elekana vs. Lucas Fernando (Light Heavyweight)

A panel sweep for the Brazilian. Pip has Lucas Fernando by TKO, round two. Fernando just body-shot finished Raphael Tobias in his UFC debut, and Pip sees him replicating what Junior Tafa started against Elekana: length, body work and range striking until Billy folds. Olin landed in the same spot: Fernando by TKO or KO in round two. Elekana wants to be the light heavyweight Charles Oliveira and has finishing ability, but the show does not see him as a chained-takedown threat, and they expect Fernando to punish the first panic shot.

Priscila Cachoeira vs. Nina Milošević (Women's Bantamweight)

Another sweep, and Pip is riding Nina hard after drafting her in fantasy. Olin likes Milošević by first- or second-round stoppage, or a clear decision if it lasts. Cachoeira is the zombie who turns every fight into a dogfight, but Nina is fresher, sharper and already finished someone with body work in her UFC debut. Pip went even earlier: Milošević by knockout, round one. When Priscilla lunges, Nina times the counter down the middle, and the grappling gap is brutal if it hits the mat.

Mitch Raposo vs. Marcos Degli (Flyweight)

Vet versus Contender Series prospect, and both hosts faded the hype. Pip has Raposo by knockout, round two. Raposo's footwork and explosive boxing should keep Degli linear and frustrated at range, then time a knee up the middle once the entries get predictable. Olin is right there with him on Raposo. Mitch has been outworking better grapplers for a few fights now, and the show frames Degli as the boss fight Raposo has been stacked for. Degli's 13-fight streak and submission threat are real, but Raposo at plus money became a key parlay leg.

Prelims Picks

Keiichiro Nakamura vs. Ollie Schmid (Featherweight)

A sweep for the Road to UFC product. Olin took Nakamura, expecting him to impose striking and wrestling over three rounds. Pip has Nakamura by knockout, round one. Schmid is a City Kickboxing-style elusive kickboxer coming off a loss to Marwan Rahiki, and Nakamura finishes by KO nearly 90 percent of the time. The show does not think Schmid has closed the gaps enough since May.

Gabriel Lorenço vs. Thomas Petersen (Heavyweight)

The first heavyweight split. Pip rode Thomas Petersen by unanimous decision. Lorenço's Contender Series power is real, but Pip sees red flags in the grappling tape and trusts Petersen's grind, size and ability to make it ugly. Olin went the other way with Lorenço by stoppage in round two or three. Heavyweight undercards get wild, Peterson's defense leaves him tired, and Olin likes the leaner, hungrier finisher. Neither host is betting it; Olin joked he would rather take the heavyweight over if forced.

Karine Silva vs. Gabriella Fernandes (Women's Flyweight)

A sweep for grappling. Olin has Karine Silva by submission in round one or two, calling for an armbar, kimura or rear-naked choke while the fight is still dry. Pip also takes Silva by arm-triangle in round three. Fernandes can strike and has cardio, but she has been finished or controlled whenever someone gets her down. Once Silva lands a couple of takedowns, the show expects the submission to present itself.

Jose Delano vs. Murtazali Magomedov (Featherweight)

Pip's fight of the night and another sweep. Pip has Magomedov by rear-naked choke, round three. Undefeated Magomedov mixes power combinations with explosive wrestling and does not chase bad takedowns, which is exhausting to defend. Delano can control range and outwork him on the feet, but Magomedov has more paths. Olin is on Magomedov by TKO in round three, or a ragdoll decision, trusting the grappling to dictate where the fight happens.

Austin Bashi vs. Carlos Calderon (Featherweight)

Calderon is in on short notice for his UFC debut, and both hosts took the favorite. Olin has Bashi by decision or a simple submission in round two or three, floating a keylock after a dream premonition. Pip leans safer with Bashi by unanimous decision, while admitting the weird submission is live. Bashi's wrestling and grappling base should let him dictate, and four days' notice is brutal for a debutant.

Mantas Kondratavičius vs. Andre Petroski (Middleweight)

One of the show's strongest leans. Pip has Kondratavičius by knockout inside two minutes of round one. Mantas is a decorated kickboxer with length, speed and real grappling credentials, and Petroski's recent chin and quit against Cody Brundage are flashing red. Olin also takes Kondratavičius by knockout in round two, forecasting failed Petroski takedown attempts, then a jab, uppercut or knee once the entries get predictable. They even sprinkled half units on both the round-one and round-two finish props.

Seokhyeon Ko vs. Wellington Turman (Welterweight)

Turman is back after nearly three years and a three-fight skid, and neither host is buying the turnaround. Pip has Ko by guillotine, round two, seeing a club-and-sub after Ko rocks him and Turman panic-shoots. Olin likes Ko by knockout, or a late decision if Turman does not walk onto something early. Ko can dictate with striking or wrestling, and Turman's recent wars leave the chin in question.

Jonny Parsons vs. José Souza (Welterweight)

Closing sweep for the power puncher. Olin is on Parsons by knockout. Rust is real after the long hip-flexor layoff, but one-shot power does not leave, and Olin wants Parsons to close distance and make it a dogfight. Pip has Parsons by TKO, round three. Souza wants range and length, but leg kicks and phone-booth pressure should drag him into Parsons' world. Parsons became the third leg of the show's plus-money dog parlay.

Best Bets & Round Robins

• Virna Jandiroba moneyline (Olin, dog of the week, about +173): The co-main lean both hosts shared.

• Virna + Raposo + Parsons parlay (half unit, about 11 units to win): Three plus-money dogs the room actually likes.

• Ko + Nakamura + Milošević parlay (half unit): International Delight ticket of heavy favorites.

• Bashi + Kondratavičius + Milošević parlay (half unit): Another favorites sprinkle near even money.

• Underdog cycle (Mantas KO, Virna decision, Karine sub, Virna over 1.5 takedowns): Olin liked it enough to consider a full unit after the booster.

• Kondratavičius round-one finish and round-two finish (half unit each): Hedged so Pip's early KO covers Olin's later lean.

• Olin's round robins: An eight-pick ticket split into threes and twos across 113 bets, accidentally staking the year's profit plus two units after a BetOnline error. The bad news is the show is about minus-two units for the year before Saturday. The good news is a hot bat and a warehouse full of pick'ems.

• No bet: Lorenço vs. Petersen on the moneyline. Host picks parlay waits for Nano.

Odds moved all week and the bout order kept changing, so check your book before you bet. Olin is posting the slips on the MMAnomaly YouTube Community tab, X and Instagram.

Looking Ahead

A chaos heavyweight main event, a strawweight co-main that answers real contender questions, and a card full of dogs the show actually wants to sprinkle. Nano will drop his locks before the host picks parlay gets finalized. We'll score every pick on the Reactions & What's Next show after the dust settles at the APEX. Tell us who you've got in the comments on the YouTube episode. Stay tuned…