UFC Vegas 124: The Biggest Winners & Losers (And What's Next?)

UFC Vegas 124 had everything a short-notice heavyweight main event promises: knockdowns, hammerfists, a comeback and a highlight-reel finish. Johnny Walker took the fight with Waldo Cortes-Acosta after Sean Brady's withdrawal scrapped the original headliner, survived a first-round knockdown and stopped Salsa Boy in the third. With Pip out, Olin and an under-the-weather Jive Turkey Nano went live Monday for the Reactions & What's Next show. It was a rough night for our picks, but a great night for prospects and finishers at the Meta APEX. Below are the biggest winners, the biggest losers and what should come next for each of them, plus how our picks and bets held up.

Biggest Winners

1. Johnny Walker

For two rounds, this looked like Cortes-Acosta's fight. Walker chopped at the lead leg all night, and Waldo walked through the kicks like a zombie, refusing to check them or step back. In the first, Cortes-Acosta closed the distance, dropped Walker and stunned him again with a big hook. In the second, Walker landed a spinning back elbow but was fading, and after a wild exchange he ended up on the canvas with Waldo in half guard throwing hammerfists. Olin admitted that if you paused the fight there, he had Cortes-Acosta. Then the third round happened. After throwing fastballs at the knees all night, Walker snapped a high kick upstairs that partially wobbled Waldo, chased him down and finished it with a spinning back fist and punches at 2:27 of round three. Fight of the Night, and back-to-back stoppages since Walker moved up to heavyweight. Nano thinks the extra weight is helping him weather storms, and both hosts wish he had made the move sooner. Olin's take: years at light heavyweight gave Walker a speed of thought most heavyweights don't have. He was also a treat on the mic afterward, telling the post-fight desk that proving his chin did not feel good and he does not want to get hit anymore.

What's next? Nano floated Curtis Blaydes, then landed on Alexander Volkov as a potential title eliminator. Olin wants the loser of Sergei Pavlovich vs. Alex Pereira at UFC 335 or the loser of Ciryl Gane vs. Josh Hokit at UFC 334, and he especially likes the Gane fight.

2. Elijah Smith

Olin picked the veteran and could not have been more wrong. Davey Grant came forward chopping at the legs exactly as expected, then the two met in the middle, landed at the same time, and Grant got the worst of it. Olin compared it to two cars running the same red light, only one of them going a lot faster. Smith chased Grant to the fence and drove home the finishing right hand at exactly 1:00 of round one. Performance of the Night. Olin noted that makes Smith 4-0 in the octagon with nine straight wins, and it came in the last fight of his contract. Nano was impressed with a 24-year-old doing that to an iron-chinned veteran and thinks Smith's speed and power are something to monitor at bantamweight.

What's next? Nano is ready to give him a real name and likes Charles Jourdain. Olin mentioned Deiveson Figueiredo, though he does not want to see that one for Figueiredo coming off three straight losses, and likes Raoni Barcelos as another viable option.

3. Thomas Petersen

Olin picked Gabriel Lorenço, but by the end of the first round he was rooting against his own pick. Lorenço nearly wrecked Petersen in round one with big power shots, dropping him and leaving him bleeding from the nose and cheek. Olin was also furious about an illegal knee that went unpunished while Lorenço was only warned for shots to the back of the head. Petersen weathered the storm, found a left hand in round two that dropped Lorenço and even threatened an Americana. In the third, he took Lorenço down early, chipped away from half guard and unloaded in the final minute until Chris Tognoni stopped it at 4:47, with 13 seconds left on the clock. Olin gave credit to Rashad Evans in the corner for keeping Petersen locked in after the foul. Performance of the Night, and a buzzer-beater Nano called a true $100K performance.

What's next? The hosts want to put someone big on the tracks. Steven Asplund came up as a big name, along with Tyrell Fortune, coming off a loss, and Marcin Tybura if the matchmakers want to go a little further down the rankings.

4. Nina Nikolija Milošević

Olin drafted Milošević in our fantasy league when nobody knew how to pronounce her name, and she just scored him 133 points. She mauled Priscila Cachoeira from the first exchange, got her down, took the back and fed her short shots for most of round one with Cachoeira stuck against the fence. In the second, Cachoeira came out swinging wild, and Milošević timed her with two right hands, changed levels on a double leg, went straight to mount and poured on elbows and punches until Jason Herzog waved it off at 3:40 of round two. That is two straight stoppages and a 2-0 UFC start. Nano thought Cachoeira opened solidly, but once the second round turned into a brawl, the positional gap told the whole story.

What's next? The show likes the loser of Beatriz Mesquita vs. Macy Chiasson, and Alice Pereira would be a fun young-guns matchup.

5. Austin Bashi

It took Bashi 1:07. Carlos Calderon, a promotional newcomer who stepped in on four days' notice, came out swinging, which is exactly the door Bashi wanted him to walk through. Bashi changed levels, slammed Calderon to the canvas, took the back and locked in the rear-naked choke. Olin's summary: aggressive opponent, level change, back control, choke. Nano has always been a fan. Bashi came in with a lot of hype and hit some bumps early in his UFC run, and the emotion after this one showed how much the bounce-back meant.

What's next? Nano suggested Lerryan Douglas, who is looking to bounce back, and Daniel Santos. Olin had both on his list and thinks the matchup that makes the most sense is a grappling test against Murtazali Magomedov, who fought on the same card.

Biggest Losers

1. Waldo Cortes-Acosta

We like Salsa Boy a lot on this show. He has won us real money, and both Olin and Pip picked him. He was winning this fight. He dropped Walker in the first, was on top throwing hammerfists in the second and still looked fresher and faster in the third, pinning Walker to the fence. He refused to check the leg kicks all night, though, and one high kick and a spinning back fist later, his night was over. Olin felt bad for Waldo, but conceded the world is a better place when Walker wins.

What's next? The hosts didn't pitch an opponent for Cortes-Acosta, but he goes home with a Fight of the Night bonus.

2. Virna Jandiroba

Olin's dog of the week went up in flames, and he took a swig of beer for it. Tatiana Suarez won a unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) in a fight both hosts found tough to watch. Nano called Suarez one-dimensional, but she shut down most of what Jandiroba had and kept the fight where she wanted it. Jandiroba never found the defensive answers or the violence to get Suarez into a bad spot. Olin pointed out that Suarez went 0-for-8 on takedowns, and the official stats have her out-landing Jandiroba 98-45 in total strikes and 28-17 in significant strikes. His verdict: she won the fight, but at what cost? It was poor optics in a division that needs new stars.

What's next? The hosts didn't pitch a next fight for Jandiroba. For Suarez, Nano assumes it is Mackenzie Dern or bust, while Olin doesn't think a performance like that earns a title shot and would rather see her fight Yan Xiaonan or Fatima Kline for a No. 1 contender spot.

3. Davey Grant

Olin refused to fade the veteran and promised to crash out if Grant lost. Grant's pressure never got to set anything up, and Smith's power ended it before the second minute started. Olin wondered whether this starts an early conversation about retirement for the Dangerous One. Both hosts still have the utmost respect for Grant.

What's next? No opponent was pitched. Olin raised retirement as a possible conversation.

4. Mantas Kondratavičius

This was one of the show's strongest leans, with sprinkles on both the round-one and round-two finish props. Kondratavičius came out sharp, landing big lefts, a hard right and some body work, and on the feet alone you might have had him ahead. Even Andre Petroski's guard pull for an arm got him hit. Then Petroski did what veteran wrestlers do. He hit a single leg in round one, went right back to it at the start of the second, climbed to mount and finished it with elbows and punches at 4:39 of round two. Olin's verdict: Kondratavičius could win the pocket but couldn't keep Petroski off his hips. He also said it will be the last time he bets on him.

What's next? No opponent was pitched. For Petroski, who snapped a three-fight skid, the hosts floated Kelvin Gastelum as the ceiling, though even that felt rich, with Dustin Stoltzfus, coming off a win, closer to the right range.

5. Jonny Parsons

Olin picked Parsons to pick up where he left off after a long layoff, but it was exciting for all the wrong reasons. José Henrique Souza is much taller and longer, and Olin said the size gap was the fight before a punch was thrown. Parsons tried to get inside with low kicks and head kicks, but Souza kept him on the end of a jab like an older sibling holding out an arm. Late in the first, as Parsons stepped in, Souza dropped a right uppercut on the button, followed with a left hook and walked off at 4:16 of round one.

What's next? Olin thinks Parsons might end up retiring after a long layoff and a knockout like this. For Souza, Nano would throw him anyone ranked in the 40-to-50 range, and Chris Curtis was floated as well.

Other Notable Performances

• Mitch Raposo def. Marcos Degli by unanimous decision (29-28 x3): Olin told chat Raposo would beat the Contender Series prospect, and he did. Degli had the sharper individual weapons, stunning Raposo with a left hook and opening a cut in the first, but Raposo's volume took over in the second and third. He out-landed Degli 71-48 in significant strikes, stopped both of Degli's takedown attempts and snapped a 13-fight win streak. That is three straight for Raposo. Nano likes Imanol Rodriguez or Joseph Morales, and Olin likes Edgar Chairez, Kai Kara-France if he can be found, or Alex Perez if healthy.

• Lucas Fernando def. Billy Elekana by unanimous decision (29-28 x3): Fernando walked Elekana down from the bell with leg kicks, body work and clean one-twos. Elekana finally landed a takedown in the third, but Fernando tied him up and Elekana never cashed in. Olin said it snapped Elekana's three-fight win streak and runs Fernando's own streak to five. Nano likes Dustin Jacoby next.

• Ollie Schmid def. Keiichiro Nakamura by unanimous decision (29-28 x3): Both hosts picked Nakamura, and he had the only knockdown and out-landed Schmid 94-71 in significant strikes. Schmid landed the only takedown and was the cleaner boxer over the first two rounds, with a stiffer jab, a head kick and a spinning kick to the body. Olin and Nano both think the right man won. Kai Kamaka III came up as the best fit next.

• Karine Silva def. Gabriella Fernandes by unanimous decision (29-28 x3): Not the submission we bet on. Silva went 0-for-2 on takedowns, and Fernandes won the clinch battles and even dropped her with a leg kick in round two. Silva's output was the difference. She out-landed Fernandes 159-69 in total strikes and was fresher in the third round. Nano wants Rose Namajunas.

• Murtazali Magomedov def. José Mauro Delano by unanimous decision (29-28 x3): Delano treated Magomedov's lead leg like a rental car and won a lot of the striking minutes, but Magomedov took him down in every round and dropped him with a left right before the final horn. Magomedov stays unbeaten. Olin called it impressive but humanizing. Both hosts like Felipe Lima next, with Morgan Charrière and Christian Rodriguez as other options.

• Ko Seok-hyeon def. Wellington Turman by unanimous decision (30-27 x3): One of the few picks we got right. Ko wanted this fight on the mat, landed judo throws and finished 6-for-10 on takedowns. Turman had moments in the second, including a clean spinning back fist, but spent most of the night stuck underneath. Olin likes Carlos Leal or Punahele Soriano. Nano added Joel Álvarez, and Nicolas Dalby came up too.

How our picks did

Nano sat out the predictions show, so this one is on Olin and Pip. By our count, Olin went 7 for 14. He hit Fernando, Milošević, Raposo, Karine Silva, Magomedov, Bashi and Ko, and missed Cortes-Acosta, Jandiroba, Grant, Nakamura, Lorenço, Kondratavičius and Parsons. Pip went 9 for 14, adding Elijah Smith (his round-one KO call was right on the money) and Thomas Petersen to the same seven wins. Pip took Petersen by decision, so the method missed by 13 seconds.

The betting side was ugly. Olin's dog of the week, Jandiroba on the moneyline at about +173, lost. All three half-unit parlays went down: Jandiroba, Raposo and Parsons; Ko, Nakamura and Milošević; and Bashi, Kondratavičius and Milošević. The Kondratavičius round-one and round-two finish props and the underdog cycle both lost as well. Olin said Raposo was one of the few bets that cashed. On top of the BetOnline round-robin mishap from the predictions show, Olin said he still needs to run the math, but he thinks the show may now be down units for the year.

Looking Ahead

Walker is now a real factor at heavyweight, Elijah Smith and Thomas Petersen picked up bonuses, and Milošević and Bashi both look like problems for their divisions. The show also covered breaking news that Norma Dumont was released by the UFC. Next up is UFC 334 on Nov. 14 at Madison Square Garden, headlined by Ciryl Gane defending the heavyweight title against Josh Hokit, a fight that could shape Walker's next move. Who should Walker fight next? Let us know in the comments on the YouTube episode.

Stay tuned as we keep breaking down the road ahead for the fighters of UFC Vegas 124…