There’s never a dull moment when Johnny Walker is in the cage.
The Brazilian knockout artist came into his UFC on ESPN+ 36 main card light heavyweight bout needing to make a statement against Ryan Spann.
Instead, he made two: One, he’s still got his knockout power, and two, he’s resilient, to boot.
In a short and wild fight, Walker (18-5 MMA, 4-2 UFC) rallied back from a bad start to score an exciting finish, getting the TKO at the 2:43 mark of the opening round in Las Vegas.
“This division, any punch can get you knocked out,” Walker said. “So I just stayed safe, quiet, and waited my time.”
Spann (18-6 MMA, 4-1 UFC) started fast, scoring a near-instantaneous takedown, and found himself in full mount, raining down heavy punches. Walker managed to scramble free, and get back to his feet.
The duo threw simultaneous punches and both connected, Spann with an overhand left and Walker with a straight right. Walker hit the mat and Spann pounced, but Walker recovered, won the scramble, and landed vicious elbows which ultimately led to referee Dan Miragliotta waving off the fight.
SOUND ON
[ #UFCVegas11 – LIVE on #ESPNPlus ] pic.twitter.com/Bzl9lAthfh@JohnnyWalker ends it with DEVASTATING ELBOWS!
— UFC (@ufc) September 20, 2020
“I fixed everything, my mistakes, 100 percent,” Walker said of his performance. “I’m ready. Now you’re going to see better and better.”
The light heavyweight bout was part of the UFC on ESPN+ 36 main card at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. It streamed on ESPN+.
Up-to-the-minute UFC on ESPN+ 36 results include:
- Johnny Walker def. Ryan Spann via TKO (elbows and punches) — Round 1, 2:34
- Mackenzie Dern def. Randa Markos via submission (armbar) – Round 1, 3:44
- Kevin Holland def. Darren Stewart via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
- David Dvorak def. Jordan Espinosa via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Damon Jackson def. Mirsad Bektic via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 3, 1:21
- Mayra Bueno Silva def. Mara Borella via submission (armbar) – Round 1, 2:29
- Jessica-Rose Clark def. Sarah Alpar via TKO (strikes) – Round 3, 4:21
- Darrick Minner def. T.J. Laramie via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 1, 0:52
- Randy Costa def. Journey Newson via knockout (head kick) – Round 1, 0:41
- Andre Ewell def. Irwin Rivera via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
- Tyson Nam def. Jerome Rivera via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 0:34