Light Heavyweights
#11 LHW | Johnny Walker (17-4) vs. #13 LHW | Nikita Krylov (26-7)Advertisement
Walker burst onto the scene in late 2018 as a perpetual motion machine powered by pure sexual energy, as he made weird faces while knocking out opponents and threw in the occasional pelvic thrust for good measure. He knocked out Khalil Rountree, Justin Ledet and Misha Cirkunov in less than three minutes combined, and as he recovered from injuring himself in a post-fight celebration after beating Cirkunov, the public wondered if Walker was just the man to take over a light heavyweight division that functions on pure id. Then Corey Anderson starched him.
Walker will next take on Krylov, who rode a wave of beating non-professionals to one of the most entertainingly terrible debuts in UFC history back in 2013. “The Miner” came to the Octagon as a pudgy heavyweight, and his bout against Soa Palelei quickly descended into more nature film than actual fight, as both men gassed badly and thrashed around the cage. Krylov cut down to 205 pounds and actually got into shape, eventually putting together a winning streak on sheer aggression. However, after Cirkunov handled him, Krylov went back to the more lucrative pastures of the Russian fight scene. Come 2018, Krylov returned to the UFC, and to his credit, he has gone from fighting like a man on fire to fighting like a man lightly singed. It nearly earned him a win over Glover Teixeira in September.
These two are going to run at each other, and it will be grand for as long as it lasts. It represents a difficult matchup for Walker. Krylov can go careening wildly off the rails, but he has yet to get knocked out and his most spectacular losses have seen him get submitted. Krylov should find a way to take this to the mat and secure a first-round submission. If it goes longer than three minutes, something has gone horribly wrong.
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