Johnny Walker will move up to heavyweight to fight Ante Delija at UFC Fight Night 282 on August 1 in Belgrade, Serbia. This will be the UFC’s first event in Serbia.
Fight details
The main news is that 34-year-old Johnny Walker, long a light-heavyweight, will try heavyweight for the first time when he meets 35-year-old Ante Delija. The bout is set for August 1 at UFC Fight Night 282 in Belgrade.
As of now, Walker vs. Delija is the only fight officially booked for this card.
Walker’s recent form
Walker has struggled in recent years at light heavyweight. He has only one win in his last five fights in that division.
His slump began with a no-contest ruling in a fight with Magomed Ankalaev. Reports said Walker was coming off second-best in that fight until an illegal knee stopped the match and the result was changed to a no-contest.
After that bout, Walker suffered back-to-back knockout losses, first to Ankalaev and then to Volkan Oezdemir. He did pick up a TKO win over Zhang Mingyang last year, but then lost to Dominick Reyes by split decision in his next fight.
Walker recently trained with former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou. That training went well enough that Walker now wants to test himself at heavyweight.
Delija’s UFC run
Ante Delija is a former PFL heavyweight champion who joined the UFC last year. He made a strong debut with a first-round knockout of Marcin Tybura.
Delija then lost by knockout to Waldo Cortes-Acosta and later dropped a unanimous decision to Serghei Spivac. He will now face Walker as he looks to regain momentum in the UFC heavyweight ranks.
What to expect
Both fighters come into this bout with recent losses and something to prove. Walker is moving up in weight and will be tested by a seasoned heavyweight in Delija. Delija will aim to build on his explosive debut and get back into the win column.
The fight will be a key test for Walker’s power and durability at heavyweight, and for Delija’s ability to handle a quick, former light-heavyweight who is used to a faster pace.
| Fighter | Recent Result |
|---|---|
| Johnny Walker | Lost to Dominick Reyes by split decision |
| Ante Delija | Lost to Serghei Spivac by unanimous decision |
All information in this story is reported by UFCcoverage.
