Exclusive | Johnny Walker targets a fight with Paul Craig at UFC 283 in Brazil
UFC light-heavyweight Johnny Walker names Paul Craig as a potential opponent for the upcoming Rio card.
Johnny Walker has had an up and down UFC tenure, but following a win over tough veteran Ion Cutelaba at UFC 279, the 30-year-old now finds himself in a good position to begin to climb the rankings.
When he first entered the UFC, Walker quickly gained hype behind him following his first three performances for the promotion which all ended in a spectacular knockout. There were even rumblings that he could be the man to finally dethrone Jon Jones.
However, after losses against the likes of Corey Anderson, Nikita Krylov and most recently Jamahal Hill, Walker’s hype has somewhat died down, but the Brazilian seems as motivated as ever, having made the move to Ireland to train John Kavanagh at SBG.
In a recent interview with LowKickMMA, Johnny Walker revealed he is hoping to take on submission specialist Paul Craig next, ideally on the upcoming Rio card.
“If I can get to UFC Rio in January, could be good to fight the guy from Scotland, Paul Craig,” Walker said to LowKickMMA.
“He’s close in ranks, he’s not big step. he’s not like top five so going to be good for keep going, moving forward. One more win, then I pick somebody top five, top three, then championship.”
Johnny Walker vs Paul Craig
Johnny Walker’s idea of facing Craig next makes good sense for a few reasons. Craig has shown vulnerability on the feet before, especially to those who carry power. Considering Walker’s resume, he will likely be confident he has all the tools to pick up a win over the ‘Bearjew.’ However, any man who takes the Scot likely is in for a rude awakening, likely resulting in them being caught in one of Craig’s signature submissions.
Paul is also known to the Brazilian crowd, having taken on one of the country’s legends in Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua, who he faced off against in Sau Paulo.
The ‘Bearjew’ has already responded to Walker’s callout:
Who would you take, Johnny Walker or Paul Craig?
