Recent RotoWire Articles Featuring Johnny Walker
A red-hot Johnny Walker is one fighter profiled by Evan Dahl in his latest examination of fighters trending up and down in the UFC.
After a week off, the UFC returns with a pay-per-view card in Atlanta featuring two title fights, and another fighter looking to become "champ-champ." Jon Litterine breaks down five key bouts.
The biggest card of the year means the biggest prize pools on DraftKings, and Jon Litterine is back to break down five key fights and make his picks for the entire card.
UFC Fortaleza featured one fighter picking up a victory without landing a single significant strike. Read more about that and other unique statistical milestones in Richard Mann's weekly stats-based recap.
The second card on ESPN plus is live from Brazil on Saturday, with 13 fights to pick from on DraftKings. Jon Litterine returns to make his selections.
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Hopeful for September return
Walker (shoulder) has been medically cleared to return to action according to his manager Lucas Lutkus, Ariel Helwani of ESPN reports.
ANALYSIS
Walker is targeting a return in the month of September and correctly believes he merits a ranked opponent this time out. He broke into the UFC rankings with a 36-second KO victory over Misha Cirkunov in March, but injured the shoulder during the celebration to derail the momentum built by a three-fight winning streak. An already-shallow light heavyweight division took yet another depth hit this week with the retirements of Alexander Gustafsson and Jimi Manuwa, so potential opponents for Walker are dwindling. His manager mentioned names such as Glover Teixeira, Dominick Rayes and Aleksander Rakic, but clarified that Walker "loves every possibility of matchup." Walker has the look of a fighter that could be competing for a belt in 2020, but likely needs to string together another win or two before the promotion will feed him to champion Jon Jones.
Walker is targeting a return in the month of September and correctly believes he merits a ranked opponent this time out. He broke into the UFC rankings with a 36-second KO victory over Misha Cirkunov in March, but injured the shoulder during the celebration to derail the momentum built by a three-fight winning streak. An already-shallow light heavyweight division took yet another depth hit this week with the retirements of Alexander Gustafsson and Jimi Manuwa, so potential opponents for Walker are dwindling. His manager mentioned names such as Glover Teixeira, Dominick Rayes and Aleksander Rakic, but clarified that Walker "loves every possibility of matchup." Walker has the look of a fighter that could be competing for a belt in 2020, but likely needs to string together another win or two before the promotion will feed him to champion Jon Jones.
Goes into further detail on shoulder injury
Walker revealed recently that he underwent surgery to repair a dislocated shoulder roughly two months ago, Steven Marrocco and Fernanda Prates of MMAJunkie.com reports.
ANALYSIS
Walker hopes to make his return to the Octagon within two or three months, but he's scheduled to see a doctor this week, which should help determine whether or not that return timeline is attainable. The shoulder injury was a bit more serious than Walker originally led on, as the procedure required an implanted screw, among other treatments, in order to properly heal. Walker took the UFC by storm after starting his career with three consecutive first-round stoppage victories, but it all came to a grinding halt when he suffered the injury in a celebration after his March victory over Misha Cirkunov. While that victory finally landed him a spot in the light heavyweight rankings, Walker seems unlikely to get the fight against Jon Jones that he's been asking for in the immediate future. If the Brazilian can come back out and show he's healthy against a top-10 opponent, that conversation could take a turn pretty quickly, as Jones has stated in the past that he wants to remain as active as possible in 2019. Jones is currently scheduled to defend his title against Thiago Santos during International Fight Week 2019.
Walker hopes to make his return to the Octagon within two or three months, but he's scheduled to see a doctor this week, which should help determine whether or not that return timeline is attainable. The shoulder injury was a bit more serious than Walker originally led on, as the procedure required an implanted screw, among other treatments, in order to properly heal. Walker took the UFC by storm after starting his career with three consecutive first-round stoppage victories, but it all came to a grinding halt when he suffered the injury in a celebration after his March victory over Misha Cirkunov. While that victory finally landed him a spot in the light heavyweight rankings, Walker seems unlikely to get the fight against Jon Jones that he's been asking for in the immediate future. If the Brazilian can come back out and show he's healthy against a top-10 opponent, that conversation could take a turn pretty quickly, as Jones has stated in the past that he wants to remain as active as possible in 2019. Jones is currently scheduled to defend his title against Thiago Santos during International Fight Week 2019.
MRI shows mild shoulder injury
Walker underwent an MRI on his shoulder, which showed a minor shoulder injury that will require four weeks of rehab, Ariel Helwani of ESPN reports.
ANALYSIS
Walker made quick work of his opponent Saturday, knocking out Misha Cirkunov in 36 seconds. The injury occurred during his post-fight celebration, however it appears he dodged a bullet and the injury isn't anything serious as he's shooting for a return in May or June.
Walker made quick work of his opponent Saturday, knocking out Misha Cirkunov in 36 seconds. The injury occurred during his post-fight celebration, however it appears he dodged a bullet and the injury isn't anything serious as he's shooting for a return in May or June.
Meet the UFC's newest superstar
Walker defeated Misha Cirkunov via TKO (strikes) at 0:36 of Round 1 at UFC 235 on Saturday in Las Vegas.
ANALYSIS
The term "future champion" gets thrown around a lot these days, but Walker has the look of a legitimate superstar. If knocking out Cirkunov in 36 seconds with a perfectly placed knee and subsequent strikes weren't enough, he believes he separated his shoulder during his post-fight celebration. How can you not love this guy? Walker now has three knockout wins to begin his UFC career in a span of less than four months. This feels like a situation in which the company has to immediately try to cash in on Walker's quick start. Don't be the least bit surprised if the UFC pushes Walker to the front of the line for his next bout. Think names like Jon Jones and Alexander Gustafsson.
The term "future champion" gets thrown around a lot these days, but Walker has the look of a legitimate superstar. If knocking out Cirkunov in 36 seconds with a perfectly placed knee and subsequent strikes weren't enough, he believes he separated his shoulder during his post-fight celebration. How can you not love this guy? Walker now has three knockout wins to begin his UFC career in a span of less than four months. This feels like a situation in which the company has to immediately try to cash in on Walker's quick start. Don't be the least bit surprised if the UFC pushes Walker to the front of the line for his next bout. Think names like Jon Jones and Alexander Gustafsson.
Slated fight Cirkunov at UFC 235
Walker (16-3-0) will replace Ovince Saint Preux (undisclosed) on the card for UFC 235 on March 2 in Las Vegas, taking on Misha Cirkunov (14-4-0) in a light heavyweight fight, Guilherme Cruz of MMAFighting.com reports.
ANALYSIS
Less than 72 hours after Walker indicated on social media that he was eager to fight Cirkunov, the UFC granted his wish. While he'll have less a month to prepare for the matchup, Walker enters the Octagon with plenty of momentum after two electrifying wins to begin his UFC career. After dispatching Khalil Rountree in less than two minutes in his promotional debut in October, Walker raised the bar in his follow-up fight in January, defeating Justin Ledet via TKO at UFC Fortaleza in just 15 seconds.
Less than 72 hours after Walker indicated on social media that he was eager to fight Cirkunov, the UFC granted his wish. While he'll have less a month to prepare for the matchup, Walker enters the Octagon with plenty of momentum after two electrifying wins to begin his UFC career. After dispatching Khalil Rountree in less than two minutes in his promotional debut in October, Walker raised the bar in his follow-up fight in January, defeating Justin Ledet via TKO at UFC Fortaleza in just 15 seconds.