In the UFC, fighters sharing similar surnames often cause confusion among fans. For instance, Alice Pereira, who made her debut on the UFC Noche card in September, was quickly linked to former light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira. As it turned out, she wasn’t actually related to ‘Poatan’ despite sharing the same last name. However, similar confusion arose when the fans found Brogan Walker’s name in the UFC 320 prelims.

The 36-year-old will step back into the octagon on October 5th at the T-Mobile Arena to face Veronica Hardy. After dropping two fights in a row, ‘The Bear’ aims to bounce back and secure her first UFC win. Fans naturally feel intrigued by this flyweight matchup. But beyond the fight itself, her ‘Walker’ surname has sparked curiosity and led many to wonder whether she’s related to UFC light heavyweight Johnny Walker.

Are Johnny & Brogan Walker related?

Although Johnny and Brogan both share the same last name, it might be disappointing for some fans to learn that they aren’t actually related. The two are completely separate individuals with no family connection by blood or marriage—the only thing they have in common is that they both compete under the UFC banner. And that’s where the similarities end. Even their training backgrounds are entirely different.

Johnny Walker is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who fights out of Southampton, England, and currently trains at Xtreme Couture under coach Eric Nicksick. On the other hand, Brogan Walker fights out of Guam, USA, and trains at Purebred BJJ Guam under Stephen Roberto. So, they lose any similarity there as well.

That said, now that we know the two fighters aren’t related, let’s take a closer look at Brogan Walker’s training background and learn more about her ethnicity, nationality, and more.  

Is ‘The Bear’ American? Ethnicity & nationality

Unlike the Brazilian light heavyweight, Brogan Walker holds American nationality. She was born in Newport Beach, California, and currently fights out of Guam—a U.S. territory in the western Pacific Ocean, where her gym is based. While her nationality is well known, there isn’t much public information available about ‘The Bear’s ethnic background. However, the same can’t be said about Walker’s MMA career.

The Californian began her professional MMA career in 2014, and after going undefeated in the Pacific X-treme Combat promotion, her big break came in 2018 when she signed with Invicta FC. Like many fighters, her excitement to represent Guam on a prestigious stage became a major source of motivation. According to an article by Pacific Daily News in 2018, she expressed her gratitude, saying, “I want to thank all my support in California for building a strong foundation in me as a martial artist and say si Yu’us må’ase to my support here on Guam for helping me take it to the next level.”

In the Invicta FC, Walker faced some of the toughest competition the flyweight division had to offer. ‘The Bear’ even shared the cage with current #10-ranked UFC flyweight Miranda Maverick and #4-ranked contender Erin Blanchfield during her Invicta journey. So, although she’s still chasing her first UFC win, it’s fair to say Walker brings plenty of valuable experience to the table.

But the question remains—after back-to-back setbacks, can the 36-year-old finally secure her maiden UFC victory against Veronica Hardy at UFC 320? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.