Prediction for the fight Paul Craig vs Johnny Walker

There are a number of fighters in the UFC that are interesting to watch, regardless of whether their performances end with victories or defeats. Paul Craig is one of them, because out of two dozen professional fights, he heard the referee's decision only once, finishing the rest of the fights ahead of schedule.

At UFC 283 in Rio de Janeiro, another challenge awaits him, and it would be strange to see a European on this continent if his counterpart was not a native of Brazil. Johnny Walker, the once budding light heavyweight, will be looking to pick up his winning streak on January 22nd, and a duo like this all but guarantees us a head-on head-to-head showdown. Who will emerge victorious from the cage?

• Paul Craig vs Johnny Walker;
• Paul Craig;
• Johnny Walker;
• Comparative analysis;
• Game Totals Prediction.

Paul Craig vs Johnny Walker

Paul Craig

The story of a simple school teacher will inspire anyone, because having come to the BJJ hall, he quickly began to win amateur competitions, knowing only one trick - the elbow lever. An 8-0 record before his pro debut speaks volumes, and 9 stoppage pro triumphs in a row paved the way for him in the UFC. Paul won Fight Star, BAMMA and then bonus after bonus in the big leagues, tearing down the opposition on the ground floor. Also, in his arsenal there is bronze from the BJJ World Championship and the title of British champion in this discipline.

Strengths

Craig's technical tasks are quite simple: moving forward, a somewhat chaotic hitting system, with floor transfers, and attempts to get close to the enemy, followed by control at the net, or takedowns. If the opponent himself goes forward, then Paul willingly falls on his back, luring his counterpart to the ground, or counters attacks with a one-leg pass. Well, on the ground floor, his ground and pound, along with a magnificent arsenal of tricks, makes opponents worry about defense, and not develop their own offensive moves.

Weaknesses

As a basic jitter, Paul doesn't excel in the quality of his leg passes the way wrestlers do. Often, it is more convenient for him to pull off opponents, or to be under them, easily working from the back. Well, there’s no need to talk about the Scot’s stance at all: low accuracy, lack of full-fledged combinational work, and very mediocre defense repeatedly led him to serious problems, up to knockouts.

The current form and readiness of the fighter

Craig is already 35 years old, the last fight, dating from July 2022, he lost to Volkan Oezdemir, for the first time having spent all 15 minutes in the octagon. Prior to that, he went on a series of 4 victories received in fights with Nikita Krylov, Jamal Hill, Mauricio Rua and Gadzhimurad Antigulov. Paul's main problem is the desire to finish the performance ahead of schedule at any cost, because he takes unreasonable risks, goes into exchanges and makes many mistakes. However, his ground skills, rich technical arsenal and explosive Scottish nature still pose the greatest threat to any class opponent.

Johnny Walker

The Brazilian, who previously showed great promise, despite numerous defeats, is still in the TOP-15. His unconventional fighting style has brought a fresh breath to the light heavyweight division, and Johnny's list of achievements speaks volumes. He was the champion of the UCMMA, EBD leagues, and also fought for Samurai FC gold when he competed in heavyweight. In the UFC, Walker started very well, earning bonus after bonus, after which the prospect's career began to decline.

Strengths

Size and physical strength, along with excellent speed and original technique, opened the way for Johnny to the most spectacular knockouts imaginable. Jumping knees, elbows, backfists, various fake moves and long-range work kept him out of the reach of the opposition. No one could read this guy, exactly until the moment when he began to enter full-fledged tops.

Weaknesses

Johnny's instability became the main tragedy in his career. Misunderstandings with the team, frequent camp changes, mental problems and much more led him to a disastrous result. It was at this time that the loudest and most important fights with the elite of the division fell out, and a number of knockouts that the Brazilian visited shook his health, which caused Walker's stamina to noticeably decrease. In addition, he did not have good cardio, and on the ground the athlete does not act so confidently as to compete with grapplers.

The current form and readiness of the fighter

Johnny is only 30 years old, and he has already gone through fire, water and copper pipes. 4 defeats in 6 extreme fights do not promise him great prospects for the future, although Walker managed to defeat Ryan Spann with Ion Kutselaba. The same Nikita Krylov simply smeared him on the ground, and Hill and Corey Anderson made him unconscious by declassing him in the standing position. It is simply impossible to say that Johnny will approach the upcoming fight in a completely different form, show better defense and reaction, his condition is too unpredictable, along with his morale. But to deny that this guy, purely physically, can knock out anyone who stands in front of him, it would be stupid.

Comparative analysis

In anthropometry, as it was almost always, Johnny takes the lead: more than 6 cm in height and a considerable 15 cm in reach. Of course, in the stand, Craig will not be able to compete with such a non-standard drummer, even if they did not have such a gap in size. Kicks, elbows, knees in the clinch and at a distance - all this will work, and Paul will not be able to instantly find any answer to them, except for pressure. That's just substituted for Walker's counterattacks is extremely dangerous.

In close combat, it is also not easy to cope with the power of the Brazilian, besides, remembering the percentage of Craig's successful takedowns, one can even doubt that he will be able to transfer fresh Johnny to the floor. Looking at their fight in the context of a duel on the hands and in the clinch, it is not possible to feel the significant advantages of the Scot, however, even if he is knocked down, Walker needs to follow the finishing move wisely.

Nikita Krylov was also sure that his ground and pound would lead to something good, but Paul is too sensitive to the moment to attack when he is on his back, not to mention other positions. Therefore, there is no doubt that he will definitely take the chance to submit Johnny when he gapes, trying to finish off the fallen opponent. Drawing any specific scenarios for the development of the battle in this case is useless - the randomness, combined with the ingenuity of these guys, can cross out any guesses on our part.

Paul Craig vs Johnny Walker Prediction

In recent performances, Johnny tried to turn off the madness and courage for the sake of technicality and accuracy. But he did it, frankly, not very well. That is why, in the confrontation with Craig, a kaleidoscope of bright moments will await us, which are bound to lead one of the participants in this fight to an early victory. Walker may well knock out Paul in the first round, and he will perform another choke or leverage, forcing his counterpart to capitulate. Therefore, a bet on the duration of the fight (Total over 1.5), which has a low chance of lasting all 15 minutes, or on the end of the meeting with a KO/TKO/submission by any of the participants, is most likely to go. The one who prefers to choose a specific winner should take a chance and choose an underdog, as he performs better than his young counterpart. Install the 1xbet app and place a bet on the favorite!

Prediction: Under 1.5/Paul Craig Win