Johnny Walker had a memorable heavyweight debut in October, knocking out Mick Parkin with a flying knee at UFC 332, and looks to keep the momentum going five weeks later when he takes on top-ranked Waldo Cortes-Acosta in the main event of UFC Vegas 124 on Saturday.
Walker and “WCA” received the call on eight days’ notice after the cancellation of the original headliner, Sean Brady vs. Gabriel Bonfim, due to a Brady injury, and the Brazilian closed the deal after “a little negotiating” where he “asked for a few perks.” Walker had little time to study and prepare for Cortes-Acosta, but vows to be prepared for the task.
“I’m ready. I hope ‘Salsa Boy’ is ready too, just like I am,” Walker told MMA Fighting. “I’m hungry. I have two kids to feed at home now, so I have to be ready all the time.”
“I asked for Derrick Lewis in January. I was planning to spend Christmas in Ireland with my wife’s family,” he continued. “Now it’s even better. I get to fight now, and my year is taken care of. This is a Christmas present. Just need to get in a little more training, sharpen my hands a bit. The meat fell on the plate of the biggest carnivore there is [laughs].”
Walker had yet to study and break down Cortes-Acosta’s previous fights when he spoke with MMA Fighting about his UFC Vegas 124 main event bout, but knows a thing or two about his fellow heavyweight contender.
“I know he’s a boxer, he has a very fast jab,” Walker said. “The last fight I watched of his was against Derrick Lewis. He landed a lot of jabs on Derrick Lewis, but Derrick Lewis is very big, very heavy, and doesn’t move his head or his body. Nothing. He’s like a wall in front of you, so when you throw a jab, you’re going to land it, right? But you can’t really use that fight as a reference. I have to watch the rest of his fights to map things out a little, see what he does, but he has a good jab, a good overhand, and he’s fast. He has heavy hands, he’s a heavyweight, but he’s never fought a guy like me, someone who moves, kicks, throws knees, elbows, has wrestling, has jiu-jitsu. I hope he comes prepared because I have a lot of weapons and I’m going to use all of them.
“Of course I’m big, athletic, and I have a huge advantage over anyone in the division at range because I’m big and I can kick, punch, and move. I prefer to stay there because it’s also my comfort zone, striking is easy for me. But I train a lot of jiu-jitsu, a lot of wrestling, a lot of takedowns. I have a very good ground game, and it’s sharp too. And now it’s time for me to use everything. Punches, kicks, knees, elbows, takedown entries, double legs, single legs, taking the back, hooks, jiu-jitsu, and submissions. I have other weapons, and it’s just a matter of using them now. That’s what I’m going to do. I’m going to use everything I have to win this fight.”
Cortes-Acosta has fought twice since that knockout win over Lewis, losing decisions to Alexander Volkov and Curtis Blaydes. Now training alongside Volkov in a “dream team” in Las Vegas, Walker revealed he will likely be cornered by the fellow heavyweight at Meta APEX.
“I’ve had 17 fights in the UFC, five main events, so there’s nothing that surprises me anymore,” Walker said. “I know how everything works, I know what it’s like to take a punch, I know what it’s like to get knocked out. I’ve never been submitted in the UFC, but I’ve been submitted in my career. I know what works. There’s nothing left to surprise me. I already know where it hurts when I get punched, where it doesn’t hurt, what a big shot feels like, what a knockout feels like. So, man, whatever he has to offer, I’ve already experienced it. He’s not going to bring anything new to me. Let’s throw down and see what happens.”
Walker will be 2-0 in the division with a win Saturday, just a week before Ciryl Gane defends his title against Josh Hokit. With Alex Pereira, Sergei Pavlovich, and Tom Aspinall currently in the title picture, Walker said he wouldn’t be surprised to see his name in the conversation before the end of the year.
“It’s already time to go for the belt,” Walker said. “If the opportunity comes, I’ll take it. But if not, I’m also willing to wait another year or two. I’ve given myself three or four more years at most to get that belt, you know? It could happen in one day, one week, or in four years. I’m not in a hurry. I’ll do it at the right time.”
