Johnny Walker Claims He’d ‘Punish’ Jon Jones On The Ground

UFC light heavyweight prospect Johnny Walker believes he’d be able to punish current champion Jon Jones on the ground.

Walker has enjoyed a meteoric rise in recent months, with many believing he’s the one fighter capable of inflicting defeat on Jones. The two have even teased the fight, but both agree that Walker needs a few more outings before that matchup happens.

And so, scouting Jones is not the worst idea, as Walker saw the champion’s recent split decision win over Thiago Santos. His thoughts? That “Bones” took a lot of time to defeat an injured Santos:

“I was there to watch that fight, it was a good fight,” Walker told MMA Fighting’s Eurobash podcast. “I think Jon Jones respects Thiago and Thiago respect Jon Jones. Jon Jones has a very good control game and he doesn’t want to risk himself because he knows Thiago has good hands and he had power to knock him out.

“But Thiago injured both knees, a bad injury, he needs a lot of surgery. Jon Jones need a lot of time to beat a guy with a lot of injuries.”

However, Walker knows Jones can perform better than he did against Santos. He even believes his own style is the type that would bring the best out in him:

“I know Jon Jones can do better than that, and that’s why I want to fight him — I know I can give him the proper fight,” Walker explained. “I can push him to fight better and then everyone will see who Jon Jones is, then everyone can see who is the real champion.”

Walker has made a name for himself with three straight knockout wins. He’ll look to make it four when he takes on Corey Anderson at UFC 244 on November 2. However, he believes he could also trouble Jones on the ground when they eventually meet.

“I could use his style as well,” Walker added. “He can take me down, but I can take him down as well. I could give him a proper ground fight, nobody has been able to give him any punishment on the ground, I think I can punish him on the ground.”

What do you think of Walker’s comments?