Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Light Heavyweight Volkan Oezdemir and Johnny Walker threw down earlier tonight (Sat. June 22, 2024) live on ABC inside Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. In his first knockout win in five years, Oezdemir viciously stopped Walker inside the very first round.
This one didn’t last too long. Oezdemir demonstrated that he understood the match up well, pressuring Walker from the first bell. Walker tried to keep his distance with low kicks, but Oezdemir’s punches were coming scary close right away, and he was landing good kicks himself.
The end came when an Oezdemir left hook floored Walker. The Brazilian returned to his feet and was able to recover a little bit, but “No Time” stayed on him. Punching in combination along the fence, Oezdemir timed an uppercut that sat Walker down a second time. There would be no further recovery, as Oezdemir smashed Walker with a follow up shot that sent him deep into unconsciousness.
Check out the highlight clip below:
Volkan Oezdemir sleeps Johnny Walker pic.twitter.com/DEq3jRcQlx
— MMA Mania (@mmamania) June 22, 2024
As brutal a loss as this was for Walker, it was an equally great win for the Swiss athlete. Oezdemir has now won two in a row via stoppage, and after the win, he called out former champions Jan Blachowicz and Jamahal Hill. Either fight would make sense for Oezdemir, who likely returns to the Top Five off the strength of this victory.
For complete UFC Saudi Arabia results, coverage, and highlights, click HERE.