I have been following Johnny Walker compete for a long time.
I remember when the lanky Brazilian burst onto the scene in 2018, jump-starting his UFC career with a trio of first-round knockout victories. Walker scored those early knockouts with elbows, punches and jumping knees. However, he flew a little too close to the sun, injuring his shoulder while making the worm (seriously) and then I’ll pass Corey Anderson in a potential title eliminator.
Years later, Walker struggled to find consistency or build momentum. By 2022, the light heavyweight title was out of reach and I was in favor of Walker moving up to heavyweight. Before his UFC debut, Walker was the biggest at 205 pounds and A heavyweight on the Brazilian regional scene.
There was a precedent for his success among the big men, so why not change that?
Unfortunately, Walker remained at light heavyweight and the knockout losses started to add up. Not only was he far from a title picture, but Walker was looking increasingly fragile. He’s never reacted particularly well to a hit, but Walker chicken danced or collapsed stiffly like a tree in a hurricane. Back-to-back knockout losses in 2024 seemed to signal that the end was near, and by the time his 2026 heavyweight move arrived, it appeared to be too late.
I’m very glad to be wrong.
Walker destroyed the valued Mick Parkin jump knee last month to successfully introduce himself to the heavyweight ranks. It’s a good win and bought Walker some breathing room, but it also didn’t prove much about his place in the new division. It just went to show that the 6’5″ Brazilian can still hurt opponents with his ferocious punches, which most already expected.
Last night UFC Vegas 124 over winning the main event Waldo Cortes-Acosta was a different story. He didn’t just obliterate “Salsa Boy” with his first freaky hit of the night. That would have been impressive, but Walker’s career is littered with such stops. However, it’s not full of Walker photographing a monster and living to tell the tale.
Walker ate Cortes-Acosta’s right hands that looked like fastballs, and although he was rocked a few times, he didn’t pull off any dance moves. He actually stayed pretty calm (by Walker’s standards), using half guard or clinch to recover and fight forward. Staying in the fight, Walker allowed the friction damage from his low kicks and body shots to compound, causing the slower “Salsa Boy” to eventually walk back to the punch. Just like that, Walker is the first man to knock out Cortes-Acosta, who previously outlasted punchers such as Sergei Pavlovich and Robelis Despaigne.
I’m not trying to herald Walker as the future heavyweight champion. He’s more likely to throw a punch than a jab, though, to escape a punch rather than block it. The complete lack of fundamental boxing is a problem that no amount of weight loss (or lack thereof) can fix.
At the same time, the heavyweight move is already undeniably successful. Walker fought with confidence and his own version of strategy, and he didn’t let the hard shots put him off his approach. He just stopped an established contender and will likely steal Cortes-Acosta’s No. 6 spot when the rankings are updated. The division is so barren that Walker might just find his way into title contention — it’s not that hard to imagine him hitting Curtis Blaydes with a leap year and continuing to rise in the rankings.
Just a few years ago, the prognosis for Walker’s future was bleak. Now there are plenty of opportunities for the big Brazilian, who is hitting his best stride since his initial Octagon ascension.
Click for full UFC Vegas 124 results and play-by-play here.
