Johnny Walker has quickly risen to prominence in the UFC.
The young Brazilian has been knocking out contenders left and right inside the Octagon. His latest appearance inside the cage resulted in a 36-second finish against gritty veteran Misha Cirkunov. Many believe Walker could challenge for the light heavyweight throne fairly quickly.
However, as he told Cageside Press, Walker wants to get a bit more experience before jumping immediately into the elite side of the division:
“I have to take my time, get more experience, and maybe in two years, I’m capable of a title shot as well,” Walker said. “I want to make sure, when I be there, I hold the belt for a long time, I have to get more experience.
“I’m in no rush. I’m twenty-six, I have time. Give me the names, send me location, I’m ready.”
Former UFC light heavyweight title challenger, Volkan Oezdemir, caught wind of Walker’s comments. He called the Brazilian’s intended career path the “coward’s way”:
“I understand that it’s smart, but for me it’s all about risk and reward,” Oezdemir told Bloody Elbow. “If you are willing to go out there and prove you are the best, you don’t want to take time off and be all about security.
“I think that’s a coward’s move. If you really want to prove you’re the best you should just f—king do it.”
Oezdemir will fight on tomorrow’s (Sat. March 16, 2019) UFC London card. He’ll be facing Dominick Reyes in what’s expected to be a tremendous 205-pound contest. If he pulls off a big win in London, Oezdemir might just find himself standing across the Octagon from Walker next.
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