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Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) light heavyweight phenom, Johnny Walker, had made such an impact on the 205-pound division, that mixed martial arts (MMA) fans were already planning for an eventual Jon Jones title fight.
Not so fast.
Walker was creamed by veteran light heavyweight, Corey Anderson, at the UFC 244 pay-per-view (PPV) event last November in New York City, a loss the Brazilian blamed on his personal problems, including the dissolution of this relationship.
“That fight was a big learning experience for me,” Walker told MMA Junkie. “My mistake was bringing personal problems into the Octagon. It’s something I’ll never do again. I don’t want to take anything away from Corey Anderson, of course. He’s a great fighter. I’m confident I could have had a much better performance. I know I’ll keep climbing the rankings, so I expect we’ll run into each other again. Things will be very different.”
Walker (17-4) made a name for himself on Dana White’s “Contender Series” back in summer 2018, then followed that up with three straight knockout wins over solid competition. Then came his misstep against Walker in “The Empire State.”
In order for the 27 year-old Brazilian to work his way back up to Anderson, who currently sits at No. 5 in the official rankings, Walker (No. 10) will have to dispose of Nikita Krylov at the UFC Brasilia event this weekend on ESPN+ in Brazil.
For much more on that upcoming showdown click here.