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Johnny Walker has laid out a situation wherein he turns into the UFC mild heavyweight champion by April, and now he’s working in direction of that aim.
The Brazilian expertise rematches Magomed Ankalaev in the principle occasion of UFC Vegas 84 this Saturday on the UFC APEX, operating again a match that ended prematurely on account of an unlawful knee at UFC 294 in October 2022, and he sees greater stakes now.
Mild heavyweight had no champion again then, however that modified weeks later when Alex Pereira claimed the vacant title towards Jiri Prochazka at UFC 295. Now, Walker believes he might insert himself within the title combine with a victory over a former title challenger in Ankalaev.
Jamahal Hill received the vacant belt in January 2022 however then vacated it on account of damage, and it’s nonetheless unclear if he’ll get better in time to be Pereira’s subsequent opponent.
“I feel Jamahal is forward of me, and if he desires to combat [Pereira next], no matter,” Walker stated on MMA Preventing’s Trocação Franca podcast. “But when he can’t combat, I’ll do it. You must respect these forward of you, but when he can’t combat, I’ll take the spot and combat for the belt.”
If Walker and Pereira meet subsequent, ideally at UFC 300 on April 13 because the contender steered, Walker stated “it is going to be a brawl.” Pereira dropped the middleweight title in a rematch with Israel Adesanya run early 2022 however carried out an unimaginable turnaround months later, beating Jan Blachowicz and Prochazka so as to add one other gold to his legacy.
“Now we have to combat good,” Walker stated of going through Pereira. “The primary to attach, [the other guy] goes down. It’s going to be an attention-grabbing combat if it occurs — and I hope it does. I’m excited as a result of the division is heating up once more, there are many attention-grabbing fights to ebook. I feel it’s going to be a enjoyable combat and all people will take pleasure in watching. For certain, somebody will get knocked out, so it’s going to be enjoyable.”
Walker wasn’t stunned to see “Poatan” excel within the 205-pound division contemplating “he’s a giant man and has plenty of potential, an awesome striker.” He even wonders if the two-division champion might finally transfer as much as heavyweight someday down the road.
That change, in reality, appears inevitable for Walker as nicely.
“I dons know if I might go all the way down to middleweight [like Pereira did], however I’ll undoubtedly combat at heavyweight someday,” Walker stated. “I’m the heaviest and tallest fighter on this division. I’m simply passing by on this division, I received’t be capable of make the load for for much longer. It can get tougher as I grow old, however I’m nonetheless younger. It’s getting tougher, however I can do it.”
Walker stated his metabolism is nice so hitting championship weight at 205 is comparatively straightforward now, but it surely nonetheless takes a toll on his physique as he must observe a strict weight loss plan throughout his camp. The SBG Eire consultant has competed as a heavyweight previously in his native Brazil, however stated at the moment’s Walker would completely maul that previous heavier model of himself.
“It’s completely different once I can eat extra energy,” Walker stated. “I’m stronger once I’m not on a weight loss plan mid-camp, I carry weight simpler, I’m stronger. I can do higher rounds. It’s power, it’s completely different. If I combat at heavyweight someday, I’m excited to try this to see the way it’s going to be to coach and eat correctly, to eat sufficient for my physique to have power to spend throughout coaching and preventing. I’m all the time on deficiency to maintain my weight low. I’m by no means on my peak throughout camp. I’m solely peaking on combat night time once I’m achieved with the weight loss plan and the load minimize and I can eat, eat, and eat, and put all of the power in, so I really feel like a monster on combat night time.”
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