Preview: UFC Fight Night 144 ‘Assuncao vs. Moraes 2’

Light Heavyweights

Johnny Walker (15-3) vs. Justin Ledet (9-1)

ODDS: Walker (-210), Ledet (+175)

The UFC might have something in Walker. He has some natural charisma between his constant movement and weird facial expressions, but if nothing else, his pre-UFC fights showed that the 6-foot-6 kickboxer could be a fun fighter. After blowing through Khalil Rountree in under two minutes in his UFC debut, Walker did a ton to show that he may actually have the skills to stick. His quick knockout win, thanks to a brutal elbow in the clinch, was a memorable moment, as was his post-fight interview, where neither Jon Anik nor the translator seemed aware that Walker actually speaks English, thanks to training in England. As a result, Walker just generally acted weird before asking the UFC to put him in its video game. Walker is far from a sure thing -- frankly, at light heavyweight, he may not even have to be -- but the UFC has set him up for another fun fight here, as he looks to replicate his success against a fellow striker in Ledet.

Ledet made a bit of a name in 2016 as an under-the-radar heavyweight prospect. He showed off his boxing background with a one-sided beating of Chase Sherman and then tapped Mark Godbeer with submission skills that even seemed to surprise himself. However, inactivity and some poor performances in the next two-plus years have taken away some of that shine. First came a win over Azunna Anyanwu in a terrible fight where Ledet was content to circle, jab and not do much else against a quickly exhausted opponent. Then came a surprising cut down to light heavyweight. Given that Ledet’s best skills were his quickness and hand speed, a move down a weight class seemed like an odd move; and indeed, Ledet did not show much while getting outwrestled and generally manhandled by Aleksandar Rakic in a contender for “Beatdown of the Year.” Ledet has no momentum at the moment, but he is still a dangerous opponent with a ton of slick striking craft, so he should provide a challenge for the more hyped talent in Walker.

Even though Rountree was coming off of a win over Gokhan Saki when he faced Walker, Ledet might be the tougher test for the Brazilian. While Rountree figured to be aggressive and take on Walker strength for strength, Ledet’s often overly patient boxing game could force Walker to navigate a slow-paced range striking match. Ideally, Walker would just go into the clinch and obliterate the Texan, but Ledet still has some speed down at 205 pounds, which, when combined with a solid jab, should keep his counterpart at bay. This looks like it could be a frustrating bout in which Ledet can dictate the terms of the fight. From there, the main question becomes whether or not Walker gets disinterested and refuses to throw or still manages to win rounds by being the slightly longer fighter and willing to throw volume. The smart choice might be the former, but the call is the latter. The pick is Walker via a decision that probably does him more harm than good.

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