5 Defining Moments: Johnny Walker

Johnny Walker has thus far managed to blur the lines between gatekeeper and contender during his brief but eventful run in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Walker’s next test may clarify exactly where he stands in the light heavyweight pecking order, as he will tackle onetime title challenger Thiago Santos in the expected UFC Fight Night 197 headliner on Sept. 25. The 29-year-old Brazilian has rattled off 10 wins across his past 12 outings and owns a 4-2 mark in six appearances inside the Octagon. A prodigious offensive talent, Walker has delivered 17 of his 18 career victories by knockout, technical knockout or submission, six of them in less than a minute.

As Walker begins preparation for his pivotal showdown with Santos, a look at five of the moments that have come to define him:

1. London Bridge

Walker marched into hostile territory and captured the Ultimate Challenge MMA light heavyweight championship when he cut down Stuart Austin with a devastating knee strike in the first round of their UCMMA 54 co-headliner on Feb. 10, 2018 at The Troxy in London. Austin bowed out 2:44 into Round 1. The explosive Walker threw heat from the outset, mixing power punches with thudding kicks. He eventually engaged Austin at close range, corralled him in the Thai clinch and cut loose with a crushing knee that folded the Team Titan export where he stood. Referee Sam Amidi swooped in immediately to prevent further damage. A little more than a year later, Walker was knocking on the door to the UFC.

2. Sizzling Start

Having used Dana White’s Contender Series as a springboard, Walker first appeared on the Ultimate Fighting Championship radar as part of the UFC Fight Night 140 main card on Nov. 17, 2018 at Parque Roca Arena in Buenos Aires, Argentina. There, he wowed the crowd in his promotional debut and obliterated Khalil Rountree with a wicked elbow strike 1:57 into the first round of their light heavyweight feature. Walker showed no regard for “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 23 finalist’s considerable skills. He rattled Rountree with a head kick, forced him to step backwards and connected with a brutal elbow strike from the collar tie before mopping up what was left with follow-up punches. That was all she wrote. Walker exited the arena with a $50,000 bonus for “Performance of the Night.”

3. Perfect Timing

Walker proved he was no one-hit wonder when he wiped out Misha Cirkunov with a flying knee and follow-up punches in the first round of their UFC 235 pairing on March 2, 2019 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Cirkunov succumbed to blows 38 seconds into Round 1. Walker sidestepped an overhand left from the Xtreme Couture export, bounced comfortably on the balls of his feet and floored the Latvia-born Canadian with a perfectly timed and exquisitely executed knee. The Brazilian trailed the fallen Cirkunov to the canvas and overwhelmed him with ground-and-pound. There was no escape. Despite Cirkunov’s efforts to shield himself, Walker poured on the punishment until referee Herb Dean had seen enough.

4. Doubts Arise

The hype train went off the rails at UFC 244 on Nov. 2, 2019, as Corey Anderson buried Walker with punches in the first round of their featured prelim at Madison Square Garden in New York. Anderson drew the curtain 2:07 into Round 1. The fast-twitch feints and unorthodox movements for which Walker had become known went nowhere. Anderson freed himself from the clinch, retreated into open space and staggered the Brazilian with an overhand right before sitting him down with a left hook. “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 19 winner swarmed with power punches, lured Walker into another close-quarters exchange and cut loose with uppercuts and overhands. With the former UCMMA champion teetering against the fence, Anderson zapped him with a surgical straight right that resulted in the stoppage. The setback snapped Walker’s career-best nine-fight winning streak and raised some doubts about his true ceiling.

5. Welcomed Reboot

The reeling Walker hit the reset button, as he put away Ryan Spann with elbows and punches in the first round of their UFC Fight Night 178 light heavyweight showcase on Sept. 19, 2020 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Spann succumbed to blows 2:43 into Round 1, the 6-foot-5 Tennessee native experiencing his first defeat since July 2017. It was chaotic while it lasted. Spann floored the Brazilian with a clean counter left hook, gave chase with punches and advanced to full mount, a potential finish within reach. Walker stayed composed under extreme duress, escaped to his feet and staggered the Fortis MMA export with a clubbing right hand. A dazed Spann shot for a takedown, left himself exposed and absorbed a series of hammerfists and elbows—some of them appeared to stray to the back of the head—that prompted referee Dan Miragliotta to act. The victory halted a two-fight losing streak for Walker and pointed the SBG Ireland-trained berserker back in the right direction.