For the first time in his
Ultimate Fighting Championship career, Johnny
Walker will not have to cut weight for a fight.

Towering 6-foot-5 Brazilian striker Walker (22-10, 1 NC) has
elected to move back to heavyweight, a division in which he
competed at for a few years earlier on in his career but no later
than 2018. Cutting a massive amount of weight and reportedly
walking around at 245 pounds or so, the 34-year-old has not missed
weight since joining the promotion. He relocates up in weight, per
MMA
Mania on Thursday, to face Ante Delija
(26-8) at UFC
Belgrade on Aug. 1. Opponent Delija has since confirmed the
pairing on his Instagram
Stories on Friday.

Advertisement

Walker has struggled as of late, winning once in his last five
outings. Since a no contest with future champ Magomed
Ankalaev in 2023—and a rematch less than three months later
that spelled disaster for Walker—Walker has gotten his raised a
single time when he stopped surging Mingyang
Zhang with leg kicks and punches. Most recently, he and
Dominick
Reyes combined for three lackluster rounds at UFC 327, with the
former title challenger getting the split nod. As a professional,
the Brazilian has earned 20 of his 22 victories inside the
distance.

Trouble walking, or walking trouble?

Like Walker, foe Delija has fallen on hard time in his last few
outings. While the man known as „Walking Trouble“ burst onto the
scene in his return to the promotion from the Professional Fighters League last September,
exacting revenge against Marcin
Tybura with a two-minute knockout, his fortunes have dulled
since then. Two months after stopping Tybura, the Croatian was
thrust into an opportunity against rising heavyweight Waldo
Cortes-Acosta, and he was turned away in four minutes. A
decision defeat to Serghei
Spivac in February put Delija on the first losing streak of his
career.

IMAK ADMIN

By IMAK ADMIN

Internationaler Kampfkunst und Kampfsport Kleinanzeiger