Where Is Johnny Walker From? Ethnicity, Parents, Brazilian Background & More

Light heavyweight star Johnny Walker is surely one of the most entertaining characters in the UFC. From his name itself, which resembles a famous liquor brand, to his weird, zany sense of humor and goofiness combined with his 6’6″ frame and dynamic, striking first fighting style, these are just some of the things that endear him to the fans. However, things haven’t looked good for Walker when it comes to his business inside the Octagon.

And one of the unique and perplexing things about him is his nationality and ethnicity. Coming off a tough knockout loss to Volkan Oezdemir, the 33-year-old is now gearing up to face Zhang Mingyang, where he would be hoping to bounce back and make a move up the light heavyweight division. But ahead of this bout at UFC Shanghai, let us get to Walker on a personal level.

What is Johnny Walker’s ethnicity and nationality?

Johnny Walker was born and raised in Brazil, having grown up in the South American country’s party capital of Rio de Janeiro. However, the former EBD light heavyweight champion currently lives and trains at the SBG Ireland gym under head coach John Kavanagh, where he shares the mat with Conor McGregor. Even though he is Brazilian, he surprisingly represented England on his UFC debut back in 2018.

This is why there is continued ambiguity surrounding his nationality and ethnicity. While we have seen that Johnny Walker is a Brazilian national, the light heavyweight himself recently spoke about the results of a DNA ancestry test he took earlier this year. In a video posted on his Twitter account in February, the #7-ranked 205-pounder revealed that he had quite a diverse mix of ancestral roots. The results showed that the UFC star was 72% European (primarily of Iberian genetic heritage at 42.1%, followed by Italian at 25%).

The next most significant ancestral group in his genetics was African, which came out to 22% (with 3.3% Nigerian and 16.1% Angolan and Congolese ancestry). Finally, the Brazilians also had 3.8% indigenous American ancestry, along with minuscule amounts of British and Ashkenazi Jewish heritage. Adding to the confusion surrounding Walker’s background and ethnicity is his name, which does not sound very Brazilian. Well, now that we’ve established Walker’s roots, let’s move over to his family. Here’s what we know about the UFC fighter’s parents.

Who are Johnny Walker’s parents? Family & more

In a 2019 interview with ‘MMA Fighting’, Johnny Walker gave us some details about his personal life. He reveals his parents’ names to be Walter and Joelma, stating that he was “born in Belford Roxo, in the Baixada Fluminense section of Rio de Janeiro.” The Rio native revealed that his unique name is actually because of his martial arts career, while also revealing that his father used to be a heavy alcohol consumer.

“My nickname is Johnny Walker. People like to call me that because my name sounds like Johnnie Walker whiskey. They figure my father was a big drinker. In reality, it’s 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. And when I got into fighting, since I needed a nickname, I ended up being called Johnny Walker,” he said in the same interview.

Besides his parents, Johnny Walker also has a brother named Valter Walker. And guess what? Valter is also a UFC fighter, competing in the heavyweight division. But other than the details of his parents and his family, Walker’s life growing up was also quite interesting. So, let us take a look at that front. 

More about Johnny Walker’s early life

The UFC light heavyweight fighter’s real full name is Walker Johnny da Silva Barra de Souza, but he chose to go by Johnny Walker after he started his fighting career. This happened in 2013, which is the year he started his pro career, because it was a more memorable and catchy name. This is why he has gone by Johnny Walker since his MMA debut. And true to his initial assessment, the name is one of the things that has made him one of the more recognizable fighters on the UFC roster, filled with hundreds of fighters.

Johnny Walker now stands at a crossroads, with two losses in his last three fights. He’s winless since late 2023 and needs a win to return to the winning column. His opponent, Zhang Mingyang, meanwhile, is on a 3-fight KO streak, unbeaten in the UFC. Do you think the Brazilian star gets back in the winning column at UFC Shanghai? Let us know in the comments down below.