Johnny Walker: the Brazilian finisher who moved up to heavyweight | Ultimate Fighter Reunion

Why fans still care

JOHNNY WALKER finishes fights. Eighteen of his 23 professional wins have come by knockout or stoppage, and his first three UFC wins all ended in the first round.

He has also had big setbacks, and he has kept changing gyms and divisions to find a way forward. In 2026, at 34, he started again at heavyweight with a knockout.

Early life

He was born on 30 March 1992 in Belford Roxo, in Rio de Janeiro state. In a first-person piece for Sherdog he wrote that his father left before he was born, and that he grew up with his mother, grandmother and sister. His half-brother, Valter, was born when Johnny was about six. Valter now fights at heavyweight in the UFC.

Getting started

At 19 he took dance classes to build his confidence. That led him to Muay Thai, then jiu-jitsu, and quickly to MMA. He says he never fought as an amateur. His professional debut came on 14 December 2013 in Rio de Janeiro, a first-round stoppage of Francisco Francisco.

Career chapters

1. 2013Professional debut in Rio de Janeiro
2. 2018Wins UCMMA and European Beatdown titles, then a Contender Series fight
3. 2019Three first-round UFC finishes in a row
4. 2020 to 2023Wins over Ryan Spann, Ion Cuțelaba, Paul Craig and Anthony Smith
5. 2025Moves to Xtreme Couture and beats Zhang Mingyang
6. 2026Knocks out Mick Parkin in his heavyweight debut

Brazil to Britain 2013 to 2018

He fought on the Brazilian and Peruvian circuit and was 10-3 after a win at Brave CF 8 in August 2017. In Curitiba he trained with Chute Boxe veterans and alongside Wanderlei Silva. He then moved to Scotland and England, basing himself in Southampton. In 2018 he won the UCMMA light heavyweight title in London with a knee knockout of Stuart Austin, and the European Beatdown light heavyweight title in Mons, Belgium, by stopping Cheick Kone. On 11 August 2018 he beat Henrique da Silva on a unanimous decision on Dana White’s Contender Series Brazil and earned a UFC contract.

Three in the first round 2018 to 2020

His UFC debut on 17 November 2018 in Buenos Aires ended with an elbow knockout of Khalil Rountree Jr. in the first round. On 2 February 2019 he stopped Justin Ledet in 15 seconds with a spinning backfist and punches. On 2 March 2019 at UFC 235 he stopped Misha Cirkunov with a flying knee and punches in under 40 seconds, then dislocated his shoulder doing the worm to celebrate. He was sparring again about two and a half months later. He lost to Corey Anderson at UFC 244 and to Nikita Krylov in 2020. Before the Krylov fight he trained at Tristar in Montreal under Firas Zahabi, and he said Georges St-Pierre, Who’s Who number 21 gave him advice on working against the cage.

Main events and Ankalaev 2020 to 2024

COVID-19 travel rules kept him out of Canada, so he trained at SBG Ireland in Dublin and Belfast. On 19 September 2020 he knocked out Ryan Spann with elbows and punches in the first round. He lost main events to Thiago Santos in 2021 and Jamahal Hill in 2022, then won three straight: a rear-naked choke of Ion Cuțelaba at UFC 279, a stoppage of Paul Craig at UFC 283 in Rio, and a decision over Anthony Smith in Charlotte built on heavy low kicks. His fight with Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi ended as a no contest after an illegal knee while he was on the canvas. Ankalaev won their rematch in January 2024 in the second round, and Volkan Oezdemir stopped him in Riyadh that June.

Xtreme Couture and heavyweight 2025 to 2026

He withdrew from UFC 311 in January 2025 with an injury, then moved to Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas. On 23 August 2025 he headlined in Shanghai, was rocked in the first round, and then stopped Zhang Mingyang with calf kicks and strikes in the second, ending Zhang’s 12-fight winning streak. He lost a split decision to Dominick Reyes at UFC 327 in April 2026. That month he said the cut to 205 lb left him dizzy and low on energy, that he planned to move to heavyweight, and that he had sparred with Francis Ngannou, Who’s Who number 5. On 3 October 2026 at UFC 332 in Salt Lake City he knocked out Mick Parkin with a knee in the first round of his heavyweight debut and earned a US$100,000 Performance of the Night bonus.

Style, technique and the corner

How he fights

He is a tall striker, listed at 6 ft 6 in with an 82-inch reach by UFC.com. He names the low kick as his favourite strike and the armbar as his favourite submission. His finishes have come from elbows, knees, a spinning backfist and calf kicks. UFC.com puts his output at 3.98 significant strikes a minute at 56 per cent accuracy. He has said a fighter has to keep changing or opponents work him out.

Teams and gyms

He trained in Curitiba, then in Southampton with coach Leonardo Gosling until 2020. He moved through Tristar in Montreal and SBG Ireland, and since 2025 he has trained at Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas. He has also worked with a Brazilian sports psychologist.

Stories people still tell

1. The name.

   He was baptised Walker Johnny. He has said people in Britain took “Johnny” for his first name because Brazilian name order was misread, and “Johnny Walker” stuck.

2. The worm.

   After his second UFC win he tried a backflip that did not land well, so he did the worm instead. After the third, the worm dislocated his shoulder.

3. Brothers in the UFC.

   He and Valter now share the UFC heavyweight division.

Legacy

He came through the Contender Series and made his name with fast UFC finishes and the worm. In 2026 he began a new chapter at heavyweight with a knockout and a bonus. He names Fedor Emelianenko, Who’s Who number 40 as his favourite fighter. His wife is from Ireland, where their son was born.