Ahead of his return to the Octagon at UFC Vegas 84 this weekend, Brazilian contender, Johnny Walker has laid out his plans to compete for light heavyweight gold against compatriot, Alex Pereira at UFC 300 – show he dispatch Magomed Ankalaev in the pair’s rematch on Satuday.
Walker, the current number seven ranked light heavyweight contender, has been sidelined since he featured at UFC 294 back in October, fighting to an official ‘No Contest’ against Russian former title chaser, Ankalaev – after finding himself on the receiving end of an illegal knee strike in the first round.
As for Pereira, the Sao Paulo knockout artist minted himself as the undisputed light heavyweight champion at UFC 295 back in November at Madison Square Garden, turning in a second round TKO win over Jiri Prochazka in the pair’s vacant title clash.
Johnny Walker echoes calls for UFC 300 title tilt with Alex Pereira
And ahead of his high-stakes clash with former vacant title challenger, Ankalaev at UFC Vegas 84 this weekend, Walker claimed that if Pereira is somehow standing opposite him at UFC 300, one of them will be finished with devastating strikes.
“We have to fight smart,” Johnny Walker said of a fight between himself and Alex Pereira during an interview with MMA Fighting. “The first to connect, [the other guy] goes down. It’s going to be an interesting fight if it happens – and I hope it does. I’m excited because the division is heating up again.”
“There are plenty of interesting fights to book,” Johnny Walker explained. “I think it’s going to be a fun fight and everybody will enjoy watching. For sure, someone will get knocked out, so it’s going to be fun.”
Over the course of his light heavyweight tenure with the UFC, Walker has turned in notable victories over the likes of Khalil Rountree, Ryan Spann, Paul Craig, and most recently, former title challenger, Anthony Smith.
Who wins in a future UFC title fight: Alex Pereira or Johnny Walker?