Johnny Walker sees a win over Magomed Ankalaev lining him up for a title shot.
Walker (21-7 MMA, 7-4 UFC) and Ankalaev (18-1-1 MMA, 9-1-1 UFC) will run things back in the UFC Fight Night 234 headliner at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The pair were rebooked after their UFC 294 fight ended in a controversial no contest in which Ankalaev struck Walker with an illegal knee to the head while he was a downed opponent.
If Walker gets past Ankalaev, he thinks he undoubtedly becomes the No. 1 contender.
“One hundred percent,” Walker told The Schmo. “I have some business to deal with (Ankalaev) because the last fight was not the way I expected it to be. I felt him already. I felt everything. I know his power and I have some very big surprises for him.”
UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira (9-2 MMA, 6-1 UFC) posted a cryptic “300” post on his Instagram, but later clarified that he wasn’t talking about moving up to heavyweight to challenge interim champ Tom Aspinall. But if “Poatan” does fight at UFC 300 on April 13, Walker is ready to step up.
“Maybe me,” Walker said of being the one to fight Pereira at UFC 300. “I just have to beat Ankalaev first. Whatever it takes, I’ll be ready.”
Walker is seeking revenge from Ankalaev. He casts doubts on Ankalaev’s intention when he threw the illegal knee that was deemed inadvertent.
“I can’t wait to put my hands on him and make him pay,” Walker said. “It’s going to be like a little revenge because he landed a bad, illegal knee in Abu Dhabi. He has control of the fight. He knows what he was doing. You can never land an unintentional knee. Your knee doesn’t go in somebody’s face unintentionally, so I’m going to get him. I’m going to get my revenge.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 234.
