Light heavyweight phenom Johnny Walker (17-3, 14 KOs, 2 SUbs) will meet No. 7 Corey Anderson (12-4, 4 KOs) at UFC 244 on Saturday, November 2, 2019 at Madison Square Garden in New York, New York. The main card airs live on pay-per-view at 7pm ET.
The MMA world is getting drunk on Johnny Walker. It’s hard not to get excited about the Brazilian - he’s a giant at 6’5”, a high-flying athlete and oozes charisma. This is a fighter that gyrated while getting his gloves checked and dislocated his shoulder while doing his signature worm celebration. Oh yeah, he’s also notched three-straight first-round finishes in his first three UFC fights: an elbow knockout of Khalil Rountree, a spinning backfist TKO on Justin Ledet, and a flying knee decapitation of Misha Cirkunov.
There’s already talk that Walker might just be the guy to beat Jon Jones. That is too much, too soon, but the sky is the limit for a 27-year old in a thin division. This Saturday, he’ll take a huge step up in competition when he meets No. 7 light heavyweight Corey Anderson.
One of the division’s underrated gatekeepers, Anderson comes into the matchup with three straight wins, scoring decisions over Patrick Cummins, Glover Teixeira and Ilir Latifi. The 30-year old is a long way from being considered a legitimate contender, but he is certainly well-respected among his peers and the MMA community.
Anderson is solidly in the second tier of the 205-pound class, making this a must-win fight for Walker to continue his meteoric rise. Another quick win for Walker would send his hype through the roof and likely earn him a top 3 opponent. A hard-earned win would slow down his hype, while a big loss would derail much of it completely.
Let’s take a look at the UFC odds and break down the young phenom’s chances of winning. Live UFC betting at the online sportsbook will be available during the fight in case you want to make bets on real-time line updates.
UFC Odds at BookMaker.eu
Johnny Walker -150
Corey Anderson +120
Fight goes/doesn’t go to decision: +170 / -230
Significant Striking Stats
Strikes landed per minute: Anderson 4.37 / Walker 7.5
Striking accuracy: Anderson 46% / Walker 77%
Strikes absorbed per minute: Anderson 2.2 / Walker 2.71
Striking defense: Anderson 59% / Walker 29%
Grappling Stats
Takedown average per 15 minutes: Anderson 4.96 / Walker 0
Takedown average: Anderson 50% / Walker -
Takedown defense: Anderson 83% / Walker 100%
Submission average per 15 minutes: Anderson 0 / Walker 0
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Every young striking phenom has to face the Wrestling Test sooner or later, and Anderson will be the first to administer it to Walker. “Overtime” was signed to the UFC as a talented wrestler, and it’s remained the best part of his game. His grappling numbers are excellent, as there are only a handful of fighters that can boast landing nearly 5 takedowns per 15 minutes at a 50% clip.
On the feet, he’s a low-power, high volume striker with an iffy chin - not the ideal combination in the promotion’s second biggest weight class. He’s protected his beard better as of late, but heavy hitters like Jimi Manuwa and Ovince St. Preux were able to earn brutal knockouts. It’s fair to say that Walker has a much more dynamic offense than either, with the same killshot power to boot.
It really feels like Walker will get exposed at some point by a strong wrestler, and Anderson certainly fits the profile. But then it’s hard not to be convinced by the eye test: Walker is huge and athletic - which should make him hard to bully. Still, his grappling at this level is so unknown that it’s hard to have complete faith in him.
UFC Odds Pick: Anderson to win at +120
This one is all about value: in a truly toss-up fight, we’re going with the underdog price you can get on a reliable veteran. We really don’t know how much Walker has against grapplers, but it’s not like Anderson is deficient on the feet either.
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