The main event of UFC Vegas 84 this past Saturday night was headlined by a rematch in the light heavyweight division. Top contenders battled it out for a second time as Magomed Ankalaev (19-1-1, 1 NC) took on Johnny Walker (21-8, 1 NC).
Originally, these two fought each other back in October in Abu Dhabi. However, after Walker was hit with an illegal knee in the first round and after a ton of confusion with the ringside doctor, the fight was called off and ruled a No Contest. Originally, this was being positioned as a title eliminator.
Both men entered the bout with a lot to prove and both were trying to put their name squarely in the title picture. Johnny Walker has long dreamed of being a two-division champion and if he were to beat Ankalaev, he’d likely be one of the next guys in line for a title shot at 205.
However, doing that was not going to be an easy task. Ankalaev is one of the best and most dangerous contenders at 205 and Walker knew that heading in. The fight was competitive for the first round and a half, however, things took a drastic turn for the worse during the second round for Walker. He ate a huge right hand then a huge follow up which stopped the main event at UFC Vegas 84 and stopped his winning streak.
What’s next after UFC Vegas 84?
If you take out the No Contest in the first bout against Ankalaev, Walker had entered the octagon with a three-fight winning streak. He had looked sensational stopping Ion Cutelaba and Paul Craig. He got the win, but failed to impress in his fight against Anthony Smith. Nevertheless, it was a win over a former title challenger.
However, all momentum is gone after getting starched by Ankalaev. That said, he’s still in the top ten and he’s still a very dangerous contenders in the UFC’s light heavyweight division. So, after suffering this setback on Saturday night, what should be next for Johnny Walker?
In my opinion, a great fight would be against someone like Volkan Oezdemir. It would be a fresh matchup for Walker and it would keep him competing against top ten competition. Oezdemir is coming off a big win in his last fight in September and I think the two matchup for an incredibly entertaining matchup.