Light heavyweight contender Johnny Walker has disclosed his intentions to transition to the heavyweight division. Walker explained that he trained and sparred with former heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou, maintaining he worked comfortably with Ngannou even while on a diet with approximately a 20kg weight difference. The Brazilian stated he would feel much better at heavyweight because the weight cut negatively impacts his training, causing dizziness and low energy due to carbohydrate depletion. Walker believes competing at his natural weight would allow him to train more effectively. The move would represent a significant shift for the athletic striker who has competed at 205 pounds throughout his UFC career.
Johnny Walker has revealed he intends to leave the light heavyweight division behind and make the jump to heavyweight, citing the physical toll of weight cuts as a primary motivation for the move.
Walker, 34, currently sits ranked eleventh at light heavyweight with a professional record of 22-10-0. The Brazilian trains out of SBG Ireland and has built his reputation as one of the division's most explosive strikers, standing six-foot-six with an 82-inch reach and averaging 4.06 significant strikes per minute at a striking accuracy of 55 percent. Despite those credentials, Walker says the demands of cutting to 205 pounds have consistently undermined his preparation, leaving him dizzy and drained of energy through carbohydrate depletion.
To test his viability at the higher weight class, Walker revealed he trained and sparred with former heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou. Walker said he worked comfortably alongside Ngannou despite carrying roughly 20 kilograms less, and that the experience convinced him he could compete effectively at natural weight. Ngannou, 38 and from Cameroon, carries a professional record of 18-3-0 and stands six-foot-four with an 83-inch reach, making him one of the most physically imposing benchmarks Walker could have chosen for that kind of assessment.
Why it matters
- A move to heavyweight would end Walker's run at 205 pounds, where he currently holds a top-fifteen ranking, resetting his divisional standing entirely.
- Walker's combination of elite height, an 82-inch reach, and high striking volume could translate well against heavier but often shorter heavyweights.
- His relatively modest takedown rate of 0.42 per 15 minutes may be tested more severely against the power wrestlers common at heavyweight.
- The decision hinges on Walker's belief that training at natural weight will raise his overall performance ceiling, a claim that gym work with Ngannou appears to have reinforced.
