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Johnny Walker drew inspiration from Daniel Cormier for his career goals.
Walker put the light heavyweight division on notice by finishing Paul Craig with a first-round TKO at UFC 283. The Brazilian believes he’s starting to put the puzzle pieces together after securing his second win in a row. During his post-fight press conference, the 30-year-old revealed his future goals while referring to Cormier:
“He’s [Daniel Cormier] champ-champ – two belts. Come on. That’s my dream, as well, and this guy did it.I want to be on his level one day. I want to be a good wrestler, improve all of my skills, because I want to be there. I want to be ready to do what he did. I know it’s a huge thing to do… He’s a big, big motivation, and I want to do what he did.”
Some in the MMA community might think Walker’s two-division championship goals are a bit far-fetched. With that said, he’s shown flashes of brilliance since joining the UFC in 2018. The Rio de Janeiro native has finished all six of his UFC wins inside the first round.
Watch Johnny Walker finish Paul Craig in the first round below:
Johnny Walker says UFC 283 win showed he’s continuing to evolve
Johnny Walker always had the potential to be an elite light heavyweight contender. There was also a time when the Brazilian was arguably fighting for his job. He continued to improve and now seems to be a legitimate threat in the 205-pound division. During the UFC 283 post-fight press conference, Walker had this to say about his latest win against Paul Craig:
“I finished a guy in the top 10 in the first round, and this guy already fought three rounds with Ankalaev and finished Hill in the first hound, and then I finished him. It shows I’m getting better, and my evolution keeps going on. Every fight, I get a better fighter.”
Walker’s highlight reel is undoubtedly entertaining, but his legitimacy was questioned after losing back-to-back UFC fights on two separate occasions. After beating Craig with vicious hammer fists at UFC 283, the 30-year-old has proven he deserves respect. He is now looking to ride that momentum and continue climbing the light heavyweight rankings in 2023.
