Johnny Walker was scheduled to clash against Bogdan Guskov at UFC 311, but the fight was called off after Walker injured his ribs during training, forcing him to withdraw from the bout. It has been a challenging few years for the once-promising prospect who was earmarked to defeat Jon Jones. He has a record of 4-5-1 over his last ten fights in the UFC and in a bid to improve his game, Walker has decided to switch gyms.
Johnny Walker never settled in a gym. The Brazilian fighter has always been a ronin who had the reputation of jumping from one gym to another. However, he looked to be finally settled at the SBG Ireland after winning a few fights at first but it appears that Walker is on another gym jumping spree as he is leaving the Irish gym after years.
In his latest confession to the media, Walker emphasized that he has left SBG Ireland to train under the tutelage of Xtreme Couture to improve his game, “This is the worst thing you can do in MMA. The environment wasn’t perfect for MMA. At SBG, I had just one training partner. Here in Vegas, I have the UFC PI for strength and conditioning, for nutrition, for recovery,” said Walker.
He further added, “At Xtreme Couture, I have high-level guys between top 10 and top 15. Light heavyweight and heavyweight, and Sean Strickland. Every day I have a high-level guy to train with. You need challenges, and now at Xtreme, I have that challenge. …I have everything now for recovery, for nutrition, training, and coaching. Now the light heavyweights are in trouble. Now you’re going to have the best version of Johnny Walker because I’m just going to be better. Now my career is going to fly.”
This news could come as a shock to Conor McGregor and his coach, John Kavanagh, as the Brazilian was one of their starfighters. However, Walker is grateful for his time at SBG Ireland. He is expected to make a comeback in April. But how is his injury?
Johnny Walker gives an update on his rib injury
Johnny Walker was excited to take on Bogdan Guskov at UFC 311 considering the fact that he trained in a new gym. However, the fight never materialized because the Brazilian popped one of his ribs during a hard sparring session. While having a conversation with the media, Walker emphasized that it was a normal sparring session which crossed over to excessive. “I was doing the last sparring, very technical, timing. I wasn’t trying to hurt anybody. It was hard sparring, but very conscious,” said Walker.
He further added, ” I was trying to get out of a jiu-jitsu position and throw myself, like a normal thing, and then I felt my ribs pop. I said, ‘OK, stop, stop, stop.’ I think something happened to my ribs. Then I tried to keep fighting, I stood up again, started moving. I was like, ‘Wait, something’s wrong.’ I had to stop to check what happened so it didn’t get worse. Then I got an X-ray the next day. The UFC got the results, and then they pulled me out after that. They knew how bad the injury was.”
Walker mentioned that he was currently in a holding pattern, waiting for his ribs to heal over the next four to six weeks. He remains optimistic about getting another fight scheduled for April or May. Despite this temporary setback, he believes his decision to relocate to Las Vegas will ultimately prove beneficial. Regardless, what’s your take on Walker’s confession? State your thoughts in the comments below.
The post “Wasn’t Perfect for MMA”- Conor McGregor’s Gym Dealt With Serious Blow After Johnny Walker’s Confession appeared first on EssentiallySports.