UFC Belgrade will not see the heavyweight debut of Johnny Walker, as he is now officially off this Saturday’s fight card.
Walker, who has been a UFC light heavyweight fighter since 2018, was set to make his heavyweight debut at UFC Belgrade, the promotion’s first-ever trip to Serbia. But after his opponent, Ante Delija, fell off the card due to an injury, Walker’s status on the card was up in the air.
Now, we know he won’t be making his UFC heavyweight debut on the card.
UFC Belgrade Loses Johnny Walker From Card
Per veteran MMA reporter Guilherme Cruz on social media, the UFC matchmakers were unable to secure an opponent for Walker on short notice with Delija out, and the promotion opted to remove him from the card entirely.
“UFC couldn’t find a replacement for Ante Delija so Johnny Walker is no longer fighting this weekend at UFC Belgrade, I’m told,” Cruz wrote on X.
This is obviously disappointing news for Walker, who was looking forward to seeing how he would look in his new weight class this Saturday at UFC Belgrade. Now, he’ll have to wait a little while longer to compete in his second UFC weight class.
Johnny Walker Looking to Join Brother Valter Walker at Heavyweight
Walker is looking to join his brother Valter Walker at heavyweight, as the latter has been absolutely running through the division in his last five fights, submitting all five of his opponents with leg locks.
At UFC Abu Dhabi this past Saturday, Valter Walker defeated Thomas Petersen via first-round submission with the rarely seen calf slicer to earn a $100,000 bonus for Performance of the Night. It was an incredible performance by Valter Walker, who will likely get a top-10-ranked opponent in his next outing.
As for Johnny Walker, we’ll see what the UFC matchmakers end up doing with him and how quickly they can turn him around and get him a new opponent. There is another European Fight Night card coming up in September in Paris, so perhaps he could be rebooked against Delija for that event if he is healthy.
UFC Belgrade Loses Debuting Heavyweight Veteran