Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC
A highly-intriguing Light Heavyweight showdown between Corey Anderson and Johnny Walker is close to being a done deal, as Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) matchmakers are looking to lock down the fight for UFC 244 on Nov. 2, 2109 in New York.
According to ESPN, the 205-pound showdown has been verbally agreed upon to go down inside Madison Square Garden. The two men had been going at it over social media over the last couple of weeks, so it was a no-brainer for UFC officials to get the contracts going.
Walker recently received doctor’s clearance to return to action after undergoing shoulder surgery earlier this year. Winner of nine straight, Walker has made a big splash during his short time with the promotion, winning three in a row, all via first round knockout.
Following his 36-second KO win over Misha Cirkunov last March (see it), Walker suffered a shoulder injury during his post-fight celebration, slowing down his momentum momentarily.
As for Anderson, he has won three straight over Patrick Cummins, Glover Teixiera and Ilir Latifi. He was hoping to lock down a title fight against Jon Jones – and he tried everything to get it — but after that fell through, Walker was the next best thing. The winner here should be at the top of a very short list of contenders for “Bones.”
While no main event has been set for UFC 244, one bout that has been made official is a Heavyweight showdown between Derrick Lewis and Blagoy Ivanov.