Athletes
Johnny Walker Preaches Patience
Brazilian Light Heavyweight Discusses His Evolution Ahead Of Rematch With Magomed Ankalaev On Saturday
Johnny Walker’s first three fights inside the UFC Octagon lasted a combined 170 seconds — less than three full minutes — and resulted in three highlight reel stoppages that instantly established the electrifying Brazilian as a person of interest in the light heavyweight division.
While he was slightly more reserved out of the chute in his debut win over Khalil Rountree Jr. in Argentina, subsequent bouts against Justin Ledet and Misha Cirkunov were frenzied affairs where he came out firing, landed sharply, and ended things early before breaking into celebration.
But over the last couple years, the towering bundle of kinetic energy has exhibited greater patience, and ahead of his main event rematch with Magomed Ankalaev this weekend in Las Vegas, the 31-year-old is quick to espouse the importance of taking your time inside the Octagon.
“I have to be kind of a sniper,” said Walker, decked out in a grey half-zip pullover that gave off very fitting Irish vibes considering he now resides with his wife in her homeland of Ireland. “You have to wait for the right time to attack, wait for the right time to defend; you don’t need to rush.
“Right now, the main event is five rounds, so I can knock him out in the first round or first minute, take him down and choke him, but you have to build the knockout, you have to build the finish,” continued the engaging light heavyweight contender. “It can happen in the first minute or it can happen in the 24th minute; you never know what’s going to happen.
“You have to have patience and act at the right time so you can get a good finish.”
It feels like a substantial shift from the wild, “all gas, no break” days at the outset of his UFC tenure, but also one that shouldn’t come as a surprise given the changes Walker has undergone since those first three outings.
Fight By Fight Preview | UFC Fight Night: Ankalaev vs Walker 2
Early in his run, the colorful Brazilian searched for the right training camp fit, making stops at Tristar Gym in Montreal, venturing to Thailand, and working in his native Brazil. Somewhere along the way, he met his now wife, Tara, who stole his heart and prompted him to eventually follow her back to the beautiful island to the west of England.
Once settled, he eventually connected with John Kavanagh and the crew at SBG Ireland in Dublin, working with the man that helped guide Conor McGregor to champ-champ status in the UFC to evolve and improve his game.
“It’s been really good time at SBG,” Walker said. “I’ve been working on all my skills — a lot on my defense, my boxing, jiu jitsu, my wrestling — and I’m really happy with the results. I got a few wins and I’m evolving.
“I’m still learning every day and every training camp I get better, so I’m really happy with my stay at SBG Ireland.”
You can see the impact in his performances, even if the results haven’t always been what he’s wanted.
2024 FIGHTERS ON THE RISE: Part 1 | Part 2
He showed greater poise and focus on technique in a dangerous clash with former title challenger Thiago Santos, and displayed his abilities on the ground in snapping a two-fight skid with a first-round submission win over Ion Cutelaba at UFC 279. Even though his fight with Paul Craig a handful of months later at UFC 283 ended just over two minutes into the contest, everything from Walker looked more deliberate, more focused, more calculated, and the same held true when he bested Anthony Smith by unanimous decision five months later in South Carolina, setting up his UFC 294 clash with Ankalaev in Abu Dhabi last fall.
Riding a three-fight winning streak and facing off with a Top 5 opponent on a double-digit unbeaten streak who had fought for the vacant light heavyweight title in his previous appearance, Walker was in a position to cement his place in the title conversation with a victory, but he never really got the chance to do so.
Johnny Walker | Career Resurgence
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Johnny Walker | Career Resurgence
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“I was doing good in the fight, I was enjoying it — landed a few shots, was having fun; I was setting up my techniques to get him,” began the Brazilian, reflecting on his initial encounter with the highly regarded Russian. “I faked when he hit me in my belly, but I missed the flying knee, so he capitalized and put me down. He had really good technique, I was trapped on the floor.
"I released myself from the technique and as I was standing up — if he had waited one second, it’s okay to land that knee, but I think he got dispirited because I was back on my feet and he wanted to finish there.”
As Walker was still down, Ankalaev hit him flush in the jaw with an illegal knee, prompting referee Dan Movahedi to pause the action and call the ringside physician in to check on the Brazilian. Unhappy with the answers Walker provided to the questions he asked immediately upon entering the Octagon, the doctor informed the referee that the fight should be halted, as Walker was unable to continue.
In the moment, Walker was demonstratively frustrated, trying desperately to get the fight restarted and get to Ankalaev. Cooler heads fortunately prevailed, and on the eve of their second meeting, the energetic contender is quick to acknowledge that stopping the fight was a sound decision.
“He landed an illegal shot — it was a really good, strong shot on my jaw,” said Walker. “A week after, I felt my neck lock up and my collarbone was a little weird looking; it was kind of like a car crash.
“At the time, we don’t feel it because we’re tough fighters; broken arms, we keep walking forward and keep fighting. I wanted to keep fighting because there was so much hard work, so much training; I don’t want to stop without the result.
“At the time, I didn’t like the stoppage because you want to keep fighting, but after, I felt that my body had damage and if I kept fighting, I might be at a disadvantage because I absorbed the impact,” conceded Walker, who sits at No. 7 in the light heavyweight rankings, four spots behind his opponent. “We (wouldn’t make) the smart decision. This is why the doctor and the referee are there to protect us because we’re never going to make the smart decision; we’re always going to keep fighting.
View The UFC Light Heavyweight Rankings
“Right now, I’m happy, but I can’t wait to put my hands back on him and make him pay for his illegal knees.”
While things got very animated and intense between Walker and Ankalaev following the stoppage in Abu Dhabi, with enough pushing and shoving and trying to get at one another that UFC CEO Dana White eventually came into the Octagon to get control of things, the charismatic and popular Brazilian said there is no bad blood or lingering animosity between the two, at least on his side of things.
All he cares about this weekend is going out there and doing his job.
Johnny Walker Fight Week Interview | UFC Fight Night: Ankalaev vs Walker 2
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Johnny Walker Fight Week Interview | UFC Fight Night: Ankalaev vs Walker 2
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“I feel no emotion when I fight against anybody; I don’t care,” began Walker. “I’m a machine: I go there to fight.
“When I fight Saturday night, I’m not gonna hate him, I’m not gonna love him — I’m just a machine that is going there to beat him, and that’s it. If you bring emotion in the fight, it can work against you. I’m just going to be there and do my job.”
Should things work out in his favor, a victory in the opening main event of 2024 feels like a perfect way for Walker to get things moving in the right direction again and potentially catapult himself to a championship opportunity.
"I’m happy (to be on) the first card of the year — I’m gonna start the year off on the right foot,” he said. “It’s gonna put me in a really good position to start the year with a win. Hopefully it can get me a title shot, beating the No. 3 guy.
“Hopefully I can get his place in the rankings and move forward from there; see what is happening next.”
UFC Fight Night: Ankalaev vs Walker 2 took placelive from the UFC APEX in Las Vegas on January 13, 2024. See the Final Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC Fight Pass!
