Longtime UFC light heavyweight contender Johnny Walker is changing weight classes as he will be moving up to the heavyweight division.
Alex Behunin of MMA Mania reported that Walker, the No. 13-ranked light heavyweight contender, is moving up in weight to battle No. 10-ranked heavyweight Ante Delija. The fight is scheduled to take place at UFC Belgrade on August 1. This will mark the UFC’s debut event in Serbia, with the card being held at Belgrade Arena.
“Johnny Walker is officially moving to Heavyweight! A fight with Ante Delija is in the works for UFC Belgrade on Aug. 1,” Behunin reported on X.
Johnny Walker Gets a Fresh Life at Heavyweight
Walker first joined the UFC in 2018, and he has been ranked in the top 15 at light heavyweight for most of that time. During his UFC career, the 34-year-old Brazilian has beaten the likes of Khalil Rountree Jr., Zhang Mingyang, Misha Cirkunov, Ryan Spann, Anthony Smith, and Paul Craig.
However, Walker has run into serious struggles over the last few years. He has won only one of his last five fights, and he is coming off a terrible fight with Dominick Reyes at UFC 327, where he dropped a split decision in a match in which he barely threw any strikes. When Walker does connect, he has serious knockout power in all of his limbs. But he was very inactive against Reyes, and it cost him when he lost the fight on the judges’ scorecards.
Presumably, the weight cut was getting too hard for Walker, which is partly why he is moving up in weight. Standing 6’5,” Walker is one of the tallest light heavyweights in the UFC, so he likely had difficulties cutting down to 205 lbs as he got into his mid-30s. Now that he’s fighting at heavyweight, he can weigh up to 265 lbs, so there is no reason for him to worry about his weight. Instead, he can eat as he pleases during his training camp, and then enter the bout fresh as he won’t have to deplete his body the day before the fight with a brutal weight cut down to 205 lbs.
Walker is not the only UFC veteran to recently move up in weight, as former middleweight champ Robert Whittaker will move up to 205 lbs when he takes on Walker’s former foe Nikita Krylov at UFC 329.
UFC Debuts in Serbia
The UFC has long been rumored to hold an event in Serbia, and finally, on August 1, it will happen.
So far, the only fight that we know is taking place on this card is Walker vs. Delija. However, more bouts are expected to be added in short order, including several featuring the UFC’s Serbian fighters.
Taking a look at the UFC roster, these are Serbian fighters who almost assuredly will be added to the card if they are healthy:
- No. 12-ranked light heavyweight contender Aleksandar Rakic, who is also rumored to be moving up to heavyweight
- No. 12-ranked welterweight contender Uros Medic, who figures to get a top-10-ranked foe after knocking out Geoff Neal in his last fight
- Dusko Todorovic, who is 4-6 in the UFC
The promotion will also likely sign several more Serbian fighters from the regional scene to compete on this card, and potentially add other fighters from the Balkan region to help fill it out.
Like HEAVY’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
The post Longtime UFC Light Heavyweight Contender Changes Weight Classes appeared first on HEAVY.