Johnny Walker on why he wants to fight Anthony Smith next in the UFC

published

Johnny Walker is keen on fighting Anthony Smith but also has his eyes on the champion, Jan Blachowicz

UFC Light Heavyweight star Johnny Walker spent some time speaking with Helen Yee.

The Brazilian was coming off a huge win over Ryan Spann and moved to 18-5 in his MMA career. The 28-year-old also has his eyes on Anthony Smith and explained why he was targeting the American:

“I just think about him because he is the closest one in the ranking. I don’t wanna make big jumps, I want to pick the guy on top of me.

“Gonna think about it with my manager and coach but I think Anthony is going to be a really good match for me. He’s a really tough guy and a lot of experience.

“If I get this win, it is going to be great for me.”

Johnny Walker after his win over Ryan Spann
Johnny Walker of Brazil reacts after his TKO victory over Ryan Spann in their light heavyweight bout during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on September 19, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

However, Walker wasn’t thinking of a quick return, even though he was ready to fight next week. The Brazilian was planning his moves and was a little surprised that Jan Blachowicz knocked out Dominick Reyes.

Blachowicz is the current Light Heavyweight champion and Walker added that the champ was tough. He was excited at the possibility of fighting the top stars but he wanted to fix some of the mistakes in his game before challenging them.

Jones vs Adesanya

Walker also defended some of the action from Israel Adesanya after the UFC Middleweight champion knocked out Paulo Costa.

Walker blamed Adesanya’s reactions to emotions and didn’t want to call him out even if some of the moves were disrespectful.

Paulo Costa was defeated easily by Israel Adesanya
Paulo Costa of Brazil punches Israel Adesanya in their middleweight championship bout during UFC 253 inside Flash Forum on UFC Fight Island on September 27, 2020 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

The Brazilian was then asked who could win in a clash between Jon Jones and Adesanya. The pair have called each other out several times even though they are in different divisions.

“Both have power to knocked each other out and both are really tough and experienced guys. I would like to watch this fight and see what is going to happen.

“Like Blachowicz and Dominick Reyes, you can’t expect what is going to happen.

“In this level, anything can happen and I am excited to see what happens.”

The 28-year-old had a similar response to Khabib Nurmagomedov taking on Justin Gaethje, and he was just excited to see the two lock horns at UFC 254.

More UFC news

Follow our dedicated UFC page for instant UFC news and updates