Walker Johnny da Silva Barra de Souza (born March 30, 1992), known as Johnny Walker, is a Brazilian professional

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting sport based on striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-stylistic contests took place t ...

. He currently competes in the

Light Heavyweight Light heavyweight is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional In professional boxing, the division is above and up to , falling between super middleweight and cruiserweight (boxing), cruiserweight. The light heavyweight class has ...

division of the

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promoter (entertainment), promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor ( ...

(UFC). A professional since 2013, Walker gained entrance into the UFC by competing on ''

Dana White's Contender Series Dana White's Contender Series, formerly named Dana White's Tuesday Night Contender Series, is an American mixed martial arts promotion. In May 2017, the UFC announced White would hold the competition weekly on UFC Fight Pass (It has since been mov ...

'' and also previously competed for

Jungle Fight Jungle Fight is a Brazilian mixed martial arts and kickboxing promotion. It was created in 2003. The name is derived from its origin, the Amazonas state in Brazil. History Jungle Fight was founded by pioneering MMA fighter and long-time Brazi ...

in his native Brazil. As of June 10, 2025, he is #12 in the UFC light heavyweight rankings.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Walker made his professional MMA debut in December 2013. Over the next four years, he fought in his native Brazil and earned a record of ten wins against three losses with all of his wins coming via stoppages. Walker ended up receiving an offer from a Scottish businessman to train there and moved to Scotland. However, after a month he received no pay and left. In early 2018, Walker made the move to England where he fought for various promotions and added 3 more wins to his record and earned a spot on

in August 2018. Although from Brazil, Walker chose to represent England as he felt that is where he was able to reach his potential.

Dana White's Contender Series

Walker made his

debut on August 11, 2018. He faced Henrique da Silva and won the fight via unanimous decision. The win earned Walker a spot on the UFC's roster.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

In his UFC promotional debut, Walker faced Khalil Rountree Jr. on November 17, 2018, at

UFC Fight Night 140 ''UFC Fight Night: Magny vs. Ponzinibbio'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 140'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that was held on November 17, 2018 at Estadio Mary Terán de Weiss in Buenos Aires, ...

. He won the fight via knockout in the first round. The win earned Walker his first ''Performance of the Night'' bonus award. In his next fight, Walker faced

Justin Ledet Justin Wayne Ledet (born September 28, 1988) is an American professional mixed martial artist who competes in the Light Heavyweight division. A professional since 2010, he has most notably competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Backgro ...

on February 2, 2019, at

UFC Fight Night 144 The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. The large ...

. He won the fight via knockout just 15 seconds into the first round. The win earned Walker his second consecutive ''Performance of the Night'' bonus award. In a quick turnaround, Walker replaced an injured

Ovince Saint Preux Ovince Saint Preux (born April 8, 1983) is an American professional mixed martial artist who most notably competed in the light heavyweight and heavyweight divisions of the UFC, challenging once for the interim UFC Light Heavyweight Championshi ...

to face

Misha Cirkunov Misha Cirkunov (, born February 27, 1987), is a Latvian-Canadian professional mixed martial artist, who most recently competed in the Light heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Background Son of Oleg (Oļegs) and Ol ...

on March 2, 2019, at

UFC 235 ''UFC 235: Jones vs. Smith'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship held on March 2, 2019, at T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada, part of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area. Background A UFC Light Heavyweight ...

. He won the fight via TKO in the first round. Post-fight, Walker stated he dislocated his shoulder during his celebration. The win also earned Walker his third consecutive ''Performance of the Night'' bonus award. Walker faced Corey Anderson on November 2, 2019, at

UFC 244 ''UFC 244: Masvidal vs. Diaz'' was a mixed martial arts pay-per-view event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on November 2, 2019, at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York, United States. It was the UFC's 5 ...

. He lost the fight via technical knockout in the first round. Walker faced

Nikita Krylov Nikita Andreyevich Krylov (born March 7, 1992) is a Russian professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Light Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional since 2012, Krylov has also compet ...

on March 14, 2020, at

UFC Fight Night 170 ''UFC Fight Night: Lee vs. Oliveira'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 170'' and ''UFC on ESPN+ 28'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on March 14, 2020 at Nilson Nelson Gymnasium, G ...

. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. Walker was initially scheduled to face Ryan Spann at

UFC Fight Night 176 ''UFC Fight Night: Overeem vs. Sakai'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 176'', ''UFC on ESPN+ 34'' and ''UFC Vegas 9'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on September 5, 2020, at the UF ...

on September 5, 2020. However, Walker tested positive for

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

and the bout was postponed to September 19, 2020, at

UFC Fight Night 178 ''UFC Fight Night: Covington vs. Woodley'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 178'', ''UFC on ESPN+ 36'' and ''UFC Vegas 11'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on September 19, 2020, at t ...

. After being knocked down twice by Spann, Walker won the fight by knockout in the first round. Walker was scheduled to face

Jimmy Crute Jimmy Crute (born 4 March 1996) is an Australian professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Light Heavyweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Crute was the former Australian Hex Fight Series Light Heav ...

on March 27, 2021, at

UFC 260 ''UFC 260: Miocic vs. Ngannou 2'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on March 27, 2021, at the UFC Apex facility in Enterprise, Nevada, part of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area, United Sta ...

. However, Walker pulled out of the fight in early February citing a chest injury. Walker faced

Thiago Santos Thiago de Lima Santos (born January 7, 1984) is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Light Heavyweight division. Santos competed in the Professional Fighters League (PFL) and in the Ultimate Fighting Champ ...

on October 2, 2021, at

UFC Fight Night 193 ''UFC Fight Night: Santos vs. Walker'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 193'', ''UFC Vegas 38'' and ''UFC on ESPN+ 51'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on October 2, 2021 at the UFC A ...

. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. As the first bout of his new six-fight contract, Walker faced

Jamahal Hill Jamahal Hill (; born May 19, 1991) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Light Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he is a former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion. As of J ...

on February 19, 2022, in the main event at

UFC Fight Night 201 ''UFC Fight Night: Walker vs. Hill'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 201'', ''UFC on ESPN+ 59'' and ''UFC Vegas 48'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on February 19, 2022, at the UFC ...

. He lost the fight via knockout in the first round. Walker faced

Ion Cuțelaba Ion Cuțelaba (born 14 December 1993) is a Moldovan professional mixed martial artist who currently competes in the Light Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Background Born and raised in Chișinău, Cuțelaba bega ...

on September 10, 2022, at

UFC 279 ''UFC 279: Diaz vs. Ferguson'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on September 10, 2022, at the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada, part of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area, United States. ...

. He won the fight via a rear-naked choke submission in the first round. This win earned Walker his fourth ''Performance of the Night'' bonus award. Walker faced

Paul Craig Paul Lindsey Craig (born 27 November 1987) is a Scottish mixed martial artist who currently competes in the Middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional since 2013, Craig formerly competed for BAMMA, where h ...

on January 21, 2023, at UFC 283. He won the fight via technical knockout in the first round. Walker faced Anthony Smith on May 13, 2023, at UFC on ABC 4. He won the bout via unanimous decision. Walker faced

Magomed Ankalaev Magomed Alibulatovich Ankalaev (; born June 2, 1992) is a Russian professional mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he is the current List of UFC champions, UFC Light H ...

at UFC 294 on October 21, 2023. The fight ended in a no-contest after an illegal knee by Ankalaev, as the cage-side doctor controversially deemed Walker was unable to continue the fight. Due to the controversial ending, the bout with Ankalaev was rebooked for the main event at UFC Fight Night 234 on January 13, 2024. Walker lost the fight via knockout in the second round. Walker faced

Volkan Oezdemir Volkan Oezdemir (born 19 September 1989) is a Swiss professional mixed martial artist and former kickboxer. He currently competes in the Light heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional since 2010, Oezdemir ...

on June 22, 2024, at UFC on ABC 6. He lost the fight by knockout in the first round. Walker was scheduled to face Bogdan Guskov on January 18, 2025 at UFC 311. However, Walker withdrew from the fight due to an injury and was replaced by promotional newcomer Billy Elekana. Walker was scheduled to face

Azamat Murzakanov Azamat Anzorovich Murzakanov (; born April 12, 1989) is a Russian professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Light Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of June 10, 2025, he is #11 in the UFC ...

on May 17, 2025 at UFC Fight Night 256. However, for unknown reasons, the bout was moved to June 7, 2025 at

UFC 316 ''UFC 316: Dvalishvili vs. O'Malley 2'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on June 7, 2025, at the Prudential Center, in Newark, New Jersey, United States. Background The event marked the ...

. In turn, Walker pulled out in early May due to injury and was replaced by Brendson Ribeiro. Walker is scheduled to face

Zhang Mingyang Zhang Mingyang (Standard Chinese, Chinese: ; born August 16, 1998) is a Chinese mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist who currently competes in the Light heavyweight (MMA), Light heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) ...

on August 23, 2025 in the main event at UFC Fight Night 258.

Championships and accomplishments

** Performance of the Night (Four times) **UFC.com Awards ***2018: Ranked #8 Newcomer of the Year * MMAJunkie.com **2019 February Knockout of the Month vs.

*European Beatdown **2018 EBD Light Heavyweight Championship (One time) * Ultimate Challenge MMA **2018 UCMMA Light Heavyweight Championship (One time)

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, ,

, KO (punch) , UFC on ABC: Whittaker vs. Aliskerov , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:28 ,

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, KO (punches) , UFC Fight Night: Ankalaev vs. Walker 2 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:42 ,

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, Submission (rear-naked choke) ,

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, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 18–6 ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 18–5 , Ryan Spann , KO (elbows and punches) , UFC Fight Night: Covington vs. Woodley , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:43 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 17–5 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Lee vs. Oliveira , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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, Brazil , , - , Loss , align=center, 17–4 , Corey Anderson , TKO (punches) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:07 ,

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, TKO (flying knee and punches) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:38 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 16–3 ,

, TKO (spinning backfist and punches) , UFC Fight Night: Assunção vs. Moraes 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:15 ,

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, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 15–3 , Khalil Rountree Jr. , KO (elbow) , UFC Fight Night: Magny vs. Ponzinibbio , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:57 ,

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, Argentina , , - , Win , align=center, 14–3 , Henrique da Silva , Decision (unanimous) , Dana White's Contender Series Brazil 2 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 13–3 , Cheick Kone , TKO (punches) , European Beatdown 3 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:04 ,

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, Belgium , , - , Win , align=center, 12–3 , Jędrzej Maćkowiak , KO (knee and punches) , Krwawy Sport 1 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:42 ,

Southampton Southampton is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately southwest of London, west of Portsmouth, and southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253, ...

, England , , - , Win , align=center, 11–3 , Stuart Austin , KO (knee) , Ultimate Challenge MMA 54 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:44 ,

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, England , , - , Win , align=center, 10–3 , Rodrigo Jesus , TKO (punches) , Brave CF 8: The Rise of Champions , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:18 ,

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, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 9–3 , Luis Guilherme de Andrade , Submission (guillotine choke) , Katana Fight: Gold Edition , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:29 ,

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, Brazil , , - , Loss , align=center, 8–3 , Henrique Silva Lopes , KO (punches) , Jungle Fight 88 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:18 ,

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, Brazil , , - , Loss , align=center, 7–2 ,

Klidson Abreu Klidson Abreu (born 24 December 1992) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist competing in the Heavyweight division. He formerly competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and Professional Fighters League (PFL). Mixed martial arts career ...

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, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 7–1 , Murilo Grittz , TKO (punches) , PRVT: Garuva Top Fight , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:56 ,

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, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , João Vitor Lopes da Silva , TKO (punches) , Gigante Fight MMA 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, N/A ,

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References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Walker, Johnny 1992 births Living people Brazilian male mixed martial artists Martial artists from Rio de Janeiro (city) Brazilian capoeira practitioners Brazilian male Muay Thai practitioners Brazilian practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu Light heavyweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing capoeira Mixed martial artists utilizing Muay Thai Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters Brazilian expatriates in England Brazilian expatriate sportspeople in Thailand People from Belford Roxo Martial artists from Rio de Janeiro (state) 21st-century Brazilian sportsmen