Johnny Walker’s attempt to start a new chapter in a career that has recently witnessed a noticeable slide has hit a snag. Coming off a tightly contested loss this past April, the UFC veteran, who has won only one bout since 2024, was looking to make his heavyweight debut. He was booked on the UFC Belgrade card this weekend. The latest development, however, suggests that may not happen.

“UFC couldn’t find a replacement for Ante Delija, so Johnny Walker is no longer fighting this weekend at UFC Belgrade, I’m told,” read veteran MMA journalist Guilherme Cruz’s X post.

With the promotion staging an event in the Balkans for the first time, the card at the Belgrade Arena was already historic. However, a setback emerged last month. Reports indicated that the Croatian heavyweight was unable to compete due to an injury. As a result, the UFC started looking for a suitable replacement to fight Johnny Walker.

With the Serbian card entering fight week, however, the promotion could not settle on an opponent for the Rio De Janeiro native.

While details surrounding his injury still remain unavailable, Delija, a former PFL heavyweight champion who trains alongside champion Tom Aspinall, has a history of injuries in his mixed martial arts career. Back in 2015, a leg injury following his loss to rival Marcin Tybura left him out of the cage for three years.

The outcome represents a significant hurdle in Walker’s career. Making his UFC debut in 2018, he competed exclusively in the light heavyweight division. However, barring a few notable exceptions, the experience has been largely discouraging.

Since the no-contest in the first fight against Magomed Ankalaev, Walker has won only one bout, against Zhang Mingyang last August, which also earned him a Performance of the Night award. Returning eight months later, however, he suffered another setback when Dominick Reyes earned a closely contested victory at UFC 327 in April.

With his career trending in the wrong direction, Walker likely thought a move to the heavyweight division, where he had previously made his debut before joining the UFC, might be prudent. The division is currently in a state of flux, making it an opportune time for the Brazilian to try his hand at heavyweight again.

There is also a personal connection. His younger half-brother, Valter Walker, is already a top-rated contender in the weight class.

Johnny Walker’s push for a fresh start at heavyweight

Though the 28-year-old’s UFC debut ended disastrously when Łukasz Brzeski outpointed him on UFC Fight Night: Allen vs. Curtis 2, he hasn’t looked back since. Riding a five-fight winning streak, Valter Walker has won all those fights by submission, with the heel hook being his preferred method of forcing a tap. All five fights ended in the opening round.

Fighting on the preliminary card of last week’s Fight Night in Abu Dhabi, Valter secured a submission from Thomas Petersen via calf slicer at the event headlined by Magomed Ankalaev and Bogdan Guskov.

Given his brother’s rising profile, Johnny Walker must have thought the heavyweight division offered him an opportunity for a fresh start.

His absence from the UFC Belgrade card is bound to be disappointing. The event, headlined by welterweights Uros Medic and Daniel Rodriguez, has already seen several cancellations.

Fighting on the preliminary card, Jovan Leka, a Serb like Medic, was initially booked to face the Brazilian Max Gimenis. However, he will now face German Alexander Poppeck after Gimenis pulled out due to injuries.

Similarly, Russian bantamweight Mark Vologdin, who was supposed to fight Congolese fighter Josias Musasa, will now face Serbian Borislav Nikolić after Musasa withdrew.

Earlier in the buildup, the card had already undergone a change when Bogdan Guskov, who was set to feature in the co-main event fight against Jan Blachowicz, was rebooked against Ankalaev. Blachowicz now fights Navajo Stirling.

What matters now is how quickly the UFC can find a new fight for Johnny Walker. The sooner it is arranged, the better it would be for the Brazilian, who has been eager to breathe new life into his career.