After suffering his first UFC loss, Johnny Walker will be making some changes.
Walker (17-4 MMA, 3-1 UFC) is scheduled to take on Nikita Krylov (25-7 MMA, 7-5 UFC) at UFC Brasilia on March 14, and will be preparing for the fight at the renowned Tristar Gym in Montreal, as he looks for another active year.
“I am doing my next camp at Tristar MMA under Firas Zahabi, so I am very excited to learn as much as possible there and get the ‘W,’” Walker told MMA Junkie. “Then, I want to ideally fight as much as possible – every month if the UFC lets me.”
After storming onto the UFC scene, picking up three straight first-round finishes – and three performance bonuses – Walker drew his sternest test to date in Corey Anderson at UFC 244 last month.
But in an unexpected outcome, Walker was the one taken out in the first round, and he was showered with criticism after the bout for his antics in and out of the cage.
Don’t expect the wild dance moves and energy to change, though, as Walker insists that his fun character does not mean he underestimates his opponents.
“I am not disappointed, but I disagree,” Walker said of his critics. “I take everything very seriously. I am light-hearted, but I am not a guy who plays in the fights. I took Corey very seriously, as I took all my other fights.”
“Corey definitely keeps improving; all merit goes to him. He is becoming better and better as time goes by. That being said, I definitely underperformed. I had a lot of stress in my camp and in the week of the fight due to personal issues. Thankfully, it is all gone now, and I am ready to go back into focusing fully on my next opponent.”
Walker was quickly booked for his next fight in March, but he says if it were up to him, he would have fought even sooner.
“I love to fight, so I had actually asked to fight even earlier,” Walker said. “The UFC wanted me to fight in Brazil next, and I love fighting in my home country, so I took it as well.”
He takes on Krylov, who is coming off a split-decision loss to Glover Teixeira in September. Although ranked slightly below him, Walker expects an entertaining matchup against a guy who matches his incredible finish rate, having earned a stoppage in every single one of his wins.
“I am happy with the matchup,” Walker said. “Krylov is an exciting guy who has some nice fanbase, but I am not a guy to complain about matchups. I want to fight as much as possible against anyone and everyone. Nikita is a tough guy. He has a great chin and loves to strike. I am sure he has the style that I love to fight against. It’s going to be very fun.”
Johnny Walker to prepare for Nikita Krylov fight at Montreal's Tristar, hoping for very active 2020