UFC 311 is going to be the promotion’s first PPV card of 2025 and we are starting to see fights come together. Octagon Update was the first to report a fun light heavyweight matchup that’s heading to the first PPV card of the year. Top contenders Johnny Walker (21-9, 1 NC) and Bogdan Guskov (16-3) will go toe-to-toe on the card.
Starting with Guskov, if things remain as is, he’ll make the walk in January as the 14th ranked light heavyweight contender. He’ll have the opportunity to jump into the top ten with Johnny Walker currently ranked ninth. A great opportunity for the rising contender.
Guskov entered the UFC with a decent amount of hype. He was 14-2 and he had finished all of his opponents outside of one. However, he was stopped by Volkan Oezdemir in his first fight inside the octagon. However, he’s bounced back well with a first round finish over Zac Pauga and a second round finish over Ryan Spann.
UFC 311
While Guskov is on the rise, Johnny Walker finds himself back on the way down. A few years ago, Johnny Walker was a wild man who many thought could become a UFC champion. After earning a contract on The Contender Series, he won his first three fights by first round knockout including one over recent title challenger Khalil Rountree.
However, after returning from a shoulder injury, Walker went just 1-4 in his next five while getting knocked out twice. He turned things around with three straight wins which led him to top contender Magomed Ankalaev. After their first fight ended in a quick No Contest, the two ran things back earlier this year with Ankalaev knocking Walker out in the second round.
After that, Walker was knocked out in the first by Volkan Oezdemir. Now, he’ll look to avoid a third straight loss at UFC 311.