Johnny Walker lost a close decision against Thiago Santos in the main event of UFC Fight Night: Santos vs Walker this weekend. It was a closely contested affair, but a little different from what fans might have anticipated. Both knockout artists had respect for their opponent’s power and engaged in a technical fight rather than a brawl.

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Walker managed to outland Santos, but he lost the decision on the judges’ scorecard. However, his ability to absorb big shots was on display as he took a few of Santos’s best offerings. Also, this was a new side of Walker, as he was much more patient in his approach and calculated in terms of the risks he took inside the Octagon.

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That being said, his walkout was the same as always. He showed off some crazy moves while walking to the Octagon at UFC Apex.

Fans who have been following Walker for a while have seen this side of the light-heavyweight contender. His celebrations and walkouts are always unique. In fact, he injured himself one time while celebrating a win. Even his coach, John Kavanagh, was enjoying the walkout.

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What’s next for Johnny Walker after his loss against Thiago Santos?

After a scintillating start to his UFC career, Walker has now dropped 3 out of his last 4 fights in the promotion. But a loss against Santos shouldn’t be an enormous blow for him as ‘Marreta‘ has a KO finish against the divisional champion Jan Blachowicz.

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LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – SEPTEMBER 19: Johnny Walker of Brazil reacts after his TKO victory over Ryan Spann in their light heavyweight bout during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on September 19, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)

Walker showed a very mature version of himself in his fight tonight. Training with Kavanagh at SBG Ireland has certainly paid its dividends. Considering the potential Walker has, he should be able to rejuvenate his career. That being said, a win is necessary for him in his next fight if he wants to maintain his ranking or even his UFC spot.

Who do you think should be next for Johnny Walker?

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Also Read: UFC Featherweight With 14–0 Record to Return After a Year Off From Fighting

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Apratim Banerjee

1,260 Articles

Apratim Banerjee is a senior UFC author for EssentiallySports and has been writing professionally for almost a year. Before his current gig, Apratim worked as a UFC writer for Sportskeeda. A long-time MMA fan, Apratim has developed a critical eye for the sport that has helped him transfer his vast knowledge to his copies and give hardcore and casual readers a detailed insight into the fights and fighters. Dan Henderson’s brutal knockout against Michael Bisping at UFC 100 in 2009 is one of his earliest memories of the sport. He has never missed a UFC PPV or a Fight Night since, which speaks volumes about his wealth of MMA knowledge. Israel Adesanya, Jon Jones, Stipe Miocic, Conor McGregor are some of his favorite fighters. Apart from this, Apratim plays soccer in his free time and loves scoring long-distance goals.

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