Johnny Walker believes this weekend’s UFC Vegas 124 main event couldn’t have landed with a better person than himself.Last week, UFC brass contacted the Brazilian heavyweight to see if he’d fight on Saturday, after Sean Brady pulled out of his clash with Gabriel Bonfim due to a staph infection.Walker stopped Parkin with a flying knee at UFC 332 and has promised another statement in Las VegasGettyWith no time to find a suitable replacement for Bonfim, the welterweight was removed from the Meta Apex show in Las Vegas.Walker, who only made his heavyweight debut last month by knocking out Mick Parkin at UFC 332, initially admitted he wanted to take things slow in his new division.He had called for a fight against Marcin Tybura at UFC 335 in December to climb the rankings and move toward a title shot.However, ahead of his short-notice fight against No. 8-ranked heavyweight Waldo Cortes-Acosta, Walker said the opportunity for a Vegas main event was too great to turn down.Walker talks last-minute UFC main event“I got the call last Thursday [October 29] after I trained,” Walker told talkSPORT.com.“That was a really quick turnaround. I wasn’t expecting [a fight] that quickly, but I always stay ready.“Mick [Maynard] messaged me and offered me this fight and I said, ‘Okay, let’s do it. Why not?’“The opportunity was too great. I wanted to work my way up slowly, but my plans are not God’s plans, and if it happens, it’s because of God’s plans.“I’m a veteran now, I’m 34 years old, with a lot of experience. I have 17 UFC fights, so… It is what it is.“For me, it’s just another day of my life. It’s a normal day for me, so… Let’s go, man. Why not?View Tweet: https://x.com/hashtag/UFCVegas124?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw“The meat fell on the plate of the most carnivore guy and I wanna eat it.”Walker previews Cortes-Acosta clashWalker noted that nothing has changed with his training, as he’s always prepared to fight ‘any man on the planet all the time.’However, he acknowledges the threat of Cortes-Acosta, who scored consecutive first-round knockouts last year before defeating Derrick Lewis and suffering losses to fellow top-ranked contenders Alexander Volkov and Curtis Blaydes.“I’ve watched a lot of his fights,” Walker said.“I know what he’s capable of. He’s very good, he has very quick hands, he’s a boxer. He’s quick, with fast and powerful hands.“But I train with the guy that beat him, Volkov, and I know how he beat him.Walker knows what Cortes-Acosta is capable of – but says he knows how to beat the Dominican heavyweightGetty“Volkov almost knocked him down with one jab, so… in this division, any punch can change the fight.“Just hit and don’t get hit, that’s the deal. I watch his fights, I know what he’s capable of. He’s a good opponent, he’s a high-level guy, he’s a good athlete.“But I’m an athlete, too, I’m a freaking animal, so let’s see what happens.”This weekend marks Walker’s fourth UFC main event.He last fought at the top of a card against Zhang Mingyang at UFC Shanghai, scoring a huge upset over the Chinese fan-favourite in his backyard.Walker confident on securing KO in VegasWalker believes the main event is exactly where he belongs and has promised another statement stoppage in Sin City on Saturday.talkSPORT's UFC pound-for-pound rankingstalkSPORT.com has collectively voted on the best fighters to form a regularly updated UFC pound-for-pound (P4P) rankings system for the rest of 2026 and beyond.Our P4P list will be updated regularly based on performances in the Octagon — with wins, records, title wins and defences, calibre of opponents, methods of victory and much more all determining who makes it.UFC champions Islam Makhachev, Joshua Van and Sean Strickland feature – but big stars such as Alex Pereira and Tom Aspinall miss out.“When I start doing something, I want to be the best,” he concluded.“If I’m not being the best, I’m doing something wrong, you know?“It’s not my first main event. I believe and I accept that I belong at the top, and I’m working my a** off.“I have the ability to be on top, so it’s where I belong and I’m happy to have the opportunity to show off what I’m capable of.“When I fight, I always look for the finish. I’m sure it will be a finish.“I’m looking forward to finishing him, choking him out, knocking him out, doctor’s stoppage, whatever, I’m going to look to finish the fight.”UFC Vegas 124, also known as UFC Fight Night 293, features a women’s strawweight bout between Tatiana Suarez and Virna Jandiroba in the co-main event.Furthermore, Briton Davey Grant features on the main card, while Mantas Kondratavicius, who has ties to UK gyms, contests his second UFC fight.