Johnny Walker, appropriately, is drinking in the last chance saloon, but believes the move to heavyweight will be his best shot yet at toasting success inside the Octagon. The Brazilian was always a tall drink of water even at light-heavyweight, having fought at 205lbs since making his company debut in 2018.
Walker has always had the charisma to be a big star, but a chaotic style has seen him lose fights he should have won and land crazy finishes out of nowhere, making him one of the most unpredictable fighters around.
Having lost to Dominick Reyes by split decision in April, Walker took some time away and returned at heavyweight last weekend at UFC 332, where he knocked out Sunderland’s Mick Parkin inside a round with a devastating knee.
Now the 34-year-old believes we could see a string of vintage performances in the top division, saying: “I am very happy because I am a finisher, so when I finish a fight I conquer my objective. I don’t like the referee to decide for me.
“I see a great future (at heavyweight) because I don’t get stressed or injured. I don’t have a lack of calories and I can recover from one session to the next and I can eat as much as I need if I am hungry.
“I had no injuries this camp, I was like, ‘f***, this is so weird, I don’t have to cut weight, suffer, and I have no injuries. Something is wrong because everything is perfect’.
“I was getting a little bit anxious as everything was amazing and I am not used to that.”
With the heavyweight division in a state of flux after Tom Aspinall was forced to relinquish his title, Walker’s move could be perfectly timed, especially as he no longer has to “nerf” himself to make weight.
He added: “I’m young for a heavyweight. I believe in the next four or five years I can fight anyone in the world with the potential to win. I want to give it my best shot. Just train, eat, sleep, repeat.
“I was being nerfed when I fought at light-heavyweight. I lost muscle mass. I dehydrated my brain. I was getting a little bit weak. Now I’m at full power. I’m buff now.”
The fan favourite trained during his formative years in MMA in Scotland, but, despite the name, has no family connection to the Johnnie Walker whisky.
With his full name Walker Johnny Silva Barra de Souza, he previously revealed: “It is a combination of my parents’ names. My mother’s name is Joelma and my father’s name is Walter. My given name is Walker Johnny.
“When I got into fighting, since I needed a nickname, I ended up being called ‘Johnny Walker’.”
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