Prediction for the fight Thiago Santos vs Johnny Walker

Fighters with a bright and engaging image have always been in demand in MMA, even if their results left much to be desired. Johnny Walker is a prime example of this. It was assumed that two defeats in a row alienated him from the prospect of fighting against the strongest representatives of the light heavyweight division of the UFC for at least a few next appearances. But in fact, in his case, one not the most confident victory was enough to reach the top of the division. One way or another, the new opponent of the shocking Brazilian will be his compatriot and league veteran Thiago Santos. And this is a great matchup, as both fighters are now in dire need of victory and represent kickboxing school, which is why their meeting, which will take place on October 3 as part of the main event of UFC Fight Night 193, promises to be remembered by the audience for its tension and entertainment.

• Thiago Santos vs Johnny Walker;
• Thiago Santos;
• Johnny Walker;
• Comparative analysis;
• Game Totals Prediction.

Thiago Santos vs Johnny Walker

Thiago Santos

Number four in the official rankings and former contender for the organization's light heavyweight championship title. Before starting his career in MMA, the Brazilian practiced capoeira for eight years, after which he switched to Muay Thai and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, having received black belts in both disciplines.

In the UFC, Santos was signed as a middleweight with an 8-1 record. Then no one made big bets on him, and time has shown that it was not in vain. For five years after replenishing the promotion roster, he continually exchanged victories with defeats, systematically getting to the age at which you need to either hang gloves on a nail or lift in weight. The athlete chose the second option and was right. After moving to the light heavyweight division, he issued three victories in a row and received a title chance, in which he was defeated by John Jones, marking the peak of his career, since after that he lost two more fights to less serious opposition.

Strengths

Thanks to many years of training, today an athlete has developed kickboxing skills, as a result of which he is able to adapt in a stance to any opponent and at the same time not lose efficiency. His strengths in this matter are explosive and knockout power, percussion footwork, Thai clinching and pressing.

Weaknesses

When you are constantly transferred by a light heavyweight, who has changed his fourth decade, it is not bad, but when he also submits you, then you should return to the gym as soon as possible and work on your parterre. And we have nothing against Glover Teixeira, it just shows that grappling an athlete requires closing a lot of gaps.

The current form and readiness of the fighter

Today, the athlete leads a streak of defeats to Alexander Rakic, Glover Teixeira and John Jones, before entering which he defeated Jan Blachovic and Jimi Manuva. On the eve of the fight in question, he has a seven-month downtime and about four months of the camp behind him.

Johnny Walker

Number 10 of the official rankings and still one of the key promotion avenues in the light heavyweight division. To his credit, the Brazilian has a background in kickboxing and capoeira, as well as a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, being a well-rounded fighter.

Three years after starting his professional career, the athlete had an 8-3 record and did not come close to looking like the guy who would soon make noise in the UFC. However, after that, he won five spectacular victories in a row and won the championship titles of two organizations, as a result of which he got a chance to replenish the roster of the best league in the world through the Dana White contender, which he easily took advantage of. From the very beginning of his stay in the promotion, the fighter began to confirm the status of the prospect, successively defeating three opponents. But in the end, the hype about him turned out to be premature - after that he suffered two defeats in a row, which he somehow closed in the last performance.

Strengths

Elbows, knees, shoulders - in his performances, the athlete uses absolutely everything in order to knock out his opponent and make another highlight. And, it should be noted, he copes with this perfectly due, among other things, to the high accuracy of accented strikes, in which he has almost no equal in the division.

Weaknesses

As befits his fellow countrymen, the fighter has been studying Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu for a long time, but he does not place much emphasis on this martial art, as a result of which his skills on the ground leave much to be desired. Its disadvantages in this aspect are protection against translations, the ability to improve position and functionality.

The current form and readiness of the fighter

In the last five performances, the athlete stopped Justin Ledet, Misha Tsirkunov and Ryan Spann, flying off Corey Anderson and Nikita Krylov. He will go to a duel against his compatriot after a year's inactivity and about four months of purposeful preparation.

Comparative analysis

Santos, as a base middleweight, consistently loses anthropometric comparisons to nominal light heavyweights, and this case was no exception. Walker surpasses him in height and arm span by 10 and 15 centimeters, respectively, which, of course, is a good argument in a fight that will take place mainly in a standing position. Prospectus is not a fighter from the word at all, at least within the UFC, and it certainly will not fight a more savvy counterpart. At the same time, for more than a year, he has been working in the SBG Ireland gym, where he works out his gaps in the ground game under the strict guidance of John Kavanagh, which, coupled with his size and five-round rules of the fight, makes it inappropriate to focus on the ground on the part of his age opponent, who, in addition, simply does not like mess around on the ground. In the stance, each fighter has his own advantages. Thiago is a more exemplary and well-rounded drummer who is strong in counterattacks and punching kicks on all floors. In turn, Johnny can offer anthropometry, boxing, speed and explosive power. True, the aforementioned arguments of the prospectus come with one nuance in the form of a significant weakening after the equator of the confrontation, which, in our opinion, will have a direct impact on the outcome of the fight in question.

Thiago Santos vs Johnny Walker Fight Prediction

Ryan Spann's two knockdowns in half a round is nothing more than a verdict that speaks of big problems with resilience. Of course, there is no particular desire to bet on Walker after that, especially against his current opponent. He can win the fight in question only if from the very beginning he goes forward, trying to knock out the veteran. And specifically in this case, such an approach on his part is a direct path not only to the design of a new highlight, but also to sending for dreams after another of the Brazilian's counterattacks, which we propose to play. Install the 1xbet app and place a bet on the favorite!

Prediction: TM 2.5 for rounds.