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When Johnny Walker entered the UFC, fans thought of him as the one who could possibly break the stronghold that Jon Jones had in the light heavyweight division. An impressive 3-0 start gave Walker roughly three minutes of time in the octagon as he finished his opponents very quickly.
Things were looking great for the Brazilian as he was on the right track to getting a title fight relatively early on into his UFC career. But UFC veteran, Corey Anderson, decided to spoil these plans as 'Overtime' landed bomb after bomb and was very fired up after handing Walker his first loss in the UFC.
Since then, Walker has gone 1-3. Making the move to train at Straight Blast Gym in Ireland might not have the desired results yet, as he's 1-2 since the move. But he's looked sharp even in the fights he lost. Most recently being knocked out by an underrated Jamahal Hill, Walker desperately needs to bounce back into the win column. Here are five potential opponents for Johnny Walker after the latest setback at UFC Vegas 48.
#5. Johnny Walker vs. Michal Oleksiejczuk
Michal Oleksiejczuk is coming off a close loss at the hands of Dustin Jacoby at UFC 272. A competitive fight to kick off the card, Oleksiejczuk looked pretty sharp early on and had flashes of success throughout the fight. But ultimately, he did not get the nod from the judges when it came down to it and lost by unanimous decision.
Both fighters, i.e., Johnny Walker and Michal Oleksiejczuk, joined the UFC a year apart and both made their debuts against the very dangerous Khalil Rountree. Both fighters technically got the win, with Walker finishing Rountree in the first round and Oleksiejczuk getting the decision win which was later overturned due to a failed drug test.
Neither fighter has hit their 30's as yet, so youth is another common denominator here. The 29-year-old Walker would have to fight down the ranks again to take on the 27-year-old. Aside from this match making sense in the rankings, it has the potential to be a stand-up war. A combined 26 wins by KO/TKO should get the fans excited for this match if this were to take place next.
#4. Johnny Walker vs. Ion Cuțelaba
This potential matchup would have everyone marking their calendars. Ion Cuțelaba is possibly the most intense man alive and Johnny Walker is as care-free as can be. Personalities may clash here, but their fighting styles are rather similar and would guarantee fireworks in this matchup.
At only 28-years-old, 'The Hulk' has had 11 fights since his UFC debut in 2016. He has faced the likes of Magomed Ankalaev and the current light heavyweight champion, Glover Teixeira, among others.
Unable to win the pivotal matchups, Cuțelaba is still 4 spots below Walker in the rankings. With the Brazilian coming off two losses and Moldova's own winning his latest, it would make sense for them to meet in the middle and see who should be in the top 15.
#3. Johnny Walker vs. Maxim Grishin
Since his debut in 2020, Maxim Grishin has gone 2-2 in the company. Winning his last fight against William Knight, he showed that he's durable and can compete against some of the more feared strikers in the organization.
"Feared striker" also describes Johnny Walker, seeing as he's finished 83% of his fights by KO/TKO. This fight could be one that shows what either participant is made of. 'Maximus' has proved to be durable thus far with both of his losses coming by decision.
While it might not seem like the potential barn-burner that Walker's fights are usually advertised to be, either fighter could bring out the best in each other in what could be a technical 3-rounder.
#2. Johnny Walker vs. Volkan Oezdemir
On the more ambitious side of matchmaking is Johnny Walker vs. Volkan Oezdemir. This would be 'No Time' fighting down the ranks, as opposed to the previous entries of Walker fighting down. Rank No.12 going up against No.14 would show who has made the requisite changes to be in the top 10 of the division.
Two impressive finishes in the opening seconds of the fight earned Oezdemir his nickname and a shot against Daniel Cormier for the light heavyweight title. Cormier proved to be the superior fighter and wrestler that night. The 32-year-old has gone 2-4 since.
Prior to getting caught by Hill, Walker was looking pretty slick in the stand-up game against some of the fastest hands in the division. This fight showed that the Brazilian is still making improvements along with finding out where Oezdemir is with his career.
#1. Johnny Walker vs. Jimmy Crute
Tapping out one of the best submission specialists in Paul Craig and then finishing the heavy-handed Sam Alvey with strikes, Jimmy Crute has had an exceptional start to his UFC career. With a fighting stat of 4-3 in the organization, 'The Brute' is looking to break his recent slump of two losses, both by way of finish.
Not only are both fighters coming off two losses, but their most recent loss being at the hands of Jamahal Hill. This reinforces that Johnny Walker and Jimmy Crute aren't ill-prepared, rather that Hill is just that good.
The 26-year-old sits right outside the border of the top 15. An unranked opponent makes the most sense for Walker to get some trajectory, but this fight won't be an easy task.
