Walker Stops Cortes-Acosta With a Third-Round Head Kick

Johnny Walker closed a main event that nobody had planned. He stopped Waldo Cortes-Acosta in the third round of UFC Vegas 124 on Saturday with a head kick and a follow-up right hand.

The finish and the celebration

The end came at 2:27 of round three. The official result: Walker def. Cortes-Acosta by TKO, head kick and punches.

Walker went high with a kick and Cortes-Acosta was dazed. Walker charged in with a right hand, Cortes-Acosta went down, and a few more shots sealed it.

Bloodied, Walker did the worm while the Vegas crowd chanted his name. He then shouted at everyone who had said he had no chin, saying he had just absorbed punches from one of the division's biggest hitters.

A heavyweight bout in a welterweight slot

Sean Brady was booked against Gabriel Bonfim for the top spot on the card. An injury to Brady scrapped that welterweight fight. Neither Walker nor Cortes-Acosta had been expected on the show at all, yet they ended up as the closers.

Three rounds of leg kicks and wild swings

Leg kicks shaped the fight from the first seconds. Walker landed three right away, and Cortes-Acosta had to deal with them for the whole night. By round two his movement looked hampered, and one kick made him stumble. He still came close to landing a haymaker.

Round one had its own drama. One punch got through and Walker dropped, but he popped up and clinched. A few knees came from Cortes-Acosta, and an elbow grazed Walker before he broke free and landed low kicks with both legs. Late in the round Cortes-Acosta pinned him on the fence with overhands. Walker answered with a kick and a backhand that may have hurt him. Staff had to separate the two after the bell, and Walker's corner suggested Cortes-Acosta was done.

In round two Walker slipped and went down, which handed Cortes-Acosta the upper hand late. With 90 seconds left he had little ground game to work with, and he looked lost on top.

Walker missed a few back elbows in a clinch early in round three, and soon he was free. Both men were tired. Cortes-Acosta kept moving forward, though without the power he showed early. The referee reset the fight at center after a stall on the fence, and that opening led to the head kick.

Source: Cageside Press