Cortes-Acosta Suffers Third Straight Loss At UFC Vegas 124

Waldo Cortes-Acosta's heavyweight skid hit three fights Saturday night when Johnny Walker stopped him in the third round at UFC Vegas 124 in Las Vegas.

The Dominican bruiser entered the Meta Apex event looking to reverse back-to-back decision losses against Alexander Volkov and Curtis Blaydes, per MMA Mania. Instead, Walker dropped him with a question mark kick and finished the job with ground strikes to hand Cortes-Acosta his first career stoppage defeat.

Walker's Third-Round Finish Drops Cortes-Acosta From Top 10

The first two rounds played out as a brawling exchange between the big men, with both landing solid shots on the feet. Walker seized control in round three, connecting on the head kick that wobbled Cortes-Acosta before landing a flush punch to the jaw that put him on the canvas. The referee waved it off moments later as Walker unloaded follow-up strikes.

The setback likely removes Cortes-Acosta from his No. 8 ranking after he opened his UFC run 7-1 with wins over Serghei Spivac, Derrick Lewis, Robelis Despaigne and Andrei Arlovski. With fresh talent entering the heavyweight ranks, the climb back up will be steep.

A potential rebound bout against Marcin Tybura makes sense. The Polish veteran is also riding a three-fight skid and needs a result to stay on the roster, which could produce the kind of high-pressure scrap that ends in a finish. UFC matchmakers have not yet announced Cortes-Acosta's next opponent.

Reported via:

• MMA Mania — Monday Morning Hangover: What’s next for Waldo Cortes-Acosta after suffering third straight loss?