Johnny Walker Could Steal the Show at UFC 244
UFC 244 is stacked. Headlined by a much-anticipated fight between Nate Diaz and Jorge Masvidal as well as many other fights that UFC fans have been waiting for, there may not be a better card this year. However, one man may steal the show at UFC 244, and he’s Johnny Walker. Here’s why.
Johnny Walker is a knockout artist
Johnny Walker only has three fights in the UFC, but he’s been very impressive in each one. He’s knocked out all three of his opponents in the first round and he did that in less than three minutes combined. Not only were they fast knockouts, but it was also impressive how he knocked them out.
He’s a very strong Muay Thai fighter, which means he uses the eight points of his body to knock people out. Those points are his two hands, his two elbows, his two knees, and his two legs. In his first UFC fight against Khalil Rountree, Walker knocked Rountree out with some hard elbows.
In his next fight against Justin Ledet, Walker surprised Ledet with a spinning back-fist and that was enough to end the fight in just 15 seconds. Last but not least, in Walker’s latest outing, he knocked Misha Cirkunov out with a flying knee.
Knockouts like those aren’t uncommon in the UFC, but it’s rare to see someone knocking high-level fighters out so quickly and with such a diverse skillset. If Walker can knock his next opponent, Corey Anderson, out in similar fashion, then Walker will cement himself as the UFC’s next great knockout artist.
Corey Anderson is the perfect opponent
Although Johnny Walker is very fun to watch, UFC fans do have two criticisms of him. First is that the men that Walker has faced aren’t really great fighters. Of course, they’re good enough to get into the UFC, but this isn’t an unfounded sentiment. Many analysts have said that the light heavyweight division, the division that Walker competes in, simply sucks.
However, despite that, Anderson has shown himself to be a good fighter. Anderson has a 12-4 record and he’s currently on a three-fight win streak. He’s beaten some tough competition too, including Glover Teixeira, who was a title contender not that long ago.
Anderson is a wrestler and he often tries to take his opponents down and beat them up on the ground. That’s where the second criticism of Walker comes in. He’s never had to fight a wrestler in the UFC before and fans don’t know if he can handle being wrestled.
That said, Anderson isn’t an unbeatable fighter. In fact, he’s been knocked out cold a couple of times. That’s why Anderson is the perfect opponent for Walker. If Walker can show that he can handle a wrestler and knock them out, then he can show that he’s a great matchup for Jon Jones, the current light heavyweight champion.
Johnny Walker might beat Jon Jones
That’s ultimately why fans are excited about this fight. If Walker proves that he can knock an elite wrestler out, then he may become the man to dethrone Jones. Jones has been the light heavyweight champion for years now, and he hasn’t been even close to losing his belt. In fact, Jones is nearly undefeated, as his only loss was due to a disqualification.
Walker has the body type for it too. Jones himself is a freak athlete and he has some of the longest arms in the UFC. Jones has used his long arms to great advantage in his fights, but he won’t be able to do that against Walker. Walker has pretty long arms himself, so the two men are relatively equal in terms of their body types.
Fans don’t really like Jones because of his past transgressions, so many want to see Walker knock Jones out with something crazy. Walker will have to get past Anderson first though, and that’s why this fight is such a highly-anticipated fight.
