Dustin Jacoby and Julius Walker kick off the UFC Fight Night 266 main card Saturday at Meta APEX in Las Vegas. Check out this quick breakdown of the matchup from MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom.
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Last event’s results: 3-2
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UFC main cards, 2026: 6-4
Dustin Jacoby vs. Julius Walker UFC Fight Night 266 preview
Jacoby (21-9-1 MMA, 9-6-1 UFC) was supposed to fight last weekend. However, Jimmy Crute suffered an injury, and a spot became available the following week. Jacoby steps in for his first fight of the year, looking to build upon back-to-back stoppage wins against Vitor Petrino and Bruno Lopes.
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Walker (7-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) stumbled in his UFC debut last year by dropping a Fight of the Night split decision against Alonzo Menifield. In his second appearance, Walker secured his first UFC victory by winning a unanimous decision over Raffael Cerqueira in August.
Dustin Jacoby vs. Julius Walker UFC Fight Night 266 expert pick, prediction
Kicking off the main event in Las Vegas is an impromptu light heavyweight bout between Justin Jacoby and Julius Walker. With Jacoby’s originally scheduled fight for last week falling through, “The Hanyak” will now step in for Umar Staybaldiev to face Walker.
Walker is a UFC newcomer with a ton of potential and room to grow, which is what ultimately makes this a tough spot for him here. Don’t get me wrong: Walker has the skills to score the upset in the smaller octagon, but I’m not sure his striking or wrestling process is fleshed out enough to take it to a veteran like Jacoby consistently.
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I wish Walker nothing but the best in the future, but I have to officially pick Jacoby to give out the old vet lesson via a unanimous decision win.
Dustin Jacoby vs. Julius Walker UFC Fight Night 266 odds
The oddsmakers and the public favor the more experienced fighter, listing Jacoby -192 and Walker +54 via FanDuel.
Dustin Jacoby vs. Julius Walker UFC Fight Night 266 start time, how to watch
As the main card opener, Jacoby and Walker are expected to walk to the cage at approximately 8:10 p.m. ET. The fight streams live on Paramount+.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC Vegas 113: Dustin Jacoby vs. Julius Walker prediction, start time
