Returning Johnny Walker Sets High Bar, Readies Push for ‘Last Run at the Belt’

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While Johnny Walker has answered adversity’s demands before, more than two years have passed since he posted a victory. Leeway has all but disappeared.

The 33-year-old Brazilian will attempt to get back on track in the Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight division when he takes on the surging Mingyang Zhang in the UFC Fight Night 257 headliner on Saturday at Shanghai Indoor Stadium in Shanghai, China. Walker has compiled a 7-6 record with one no contest across his 14 appearances inside the Octagon, his tenure marked by explosive highs and some discouraging lows.

“I’m happy with my career so far,” he told Sherdog.com. “Between victories and losses, there were many lessons learned. I’ve been a ranked fighter in the UFC for some six years. When I joined the promotion in 2018, I had three fights in about four months. I was already fighting ranked opponents. There was a lot of learning since I’m the first fighter in my family. I had no mentor to guide me, to get me this far. I was my own laboratory. I learned on my own.”

In Zhang, he confronts a contender on the rise. The “Mountain Tiger” has rattled off 12 consecutive victories, all of them finishes inside one round, and seems poised to make a run at 205 pounds. Zhang last fought at UFC on ESPN 66, where he needed a little more than four minutes to dismiss Anthony Smith with a volley of elbows. Walker respects his skills but questions his strength of schedule.

“I believe that Mingyang has never fought someone who belongs in the UFC’s Top 10,” he said. “Now, he gets to fight me. I’m bigger, stronger, heavier and more experienced than the guys he beat. My versatility and experience will overcome his game. I’ll beat him on his own turf.”

Walker, who has not fought since being punched out by Kill Cliff Fight Club’s Volkan Oezdemir at UFC on ABC 6 more than a year ago, split his training camp between the UFC Performance Institute and Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas.

“I’m in the best possible place for my career,” he said. “I’m surrounded by high-level people who will be helping me score another victory.”

His recent struggles aside, Walker still carries high hopes for the future.

“I am looking forward to my last run at the belt,” he said. “I know I have the potential to be champion. I see myself fighting for the belt after another two or three wins. With good knockouts and good submission wins, I can put myself in the right place for a title fight.”