UFC light heavyweight Johnny Walker has promised he will put on a show in his main event fight against Jamahil Hill this Saturday.
Walker returns to the octagon for the first time this year in his second consecutive main event to face No.12 ranked contender Hill.
Their fight was supposed to co-headline the Fight Night card, but the main event between Rafael Dos Anjos and Rafael Fiziev was recently moved to UFC 272 in March.
Walker will look to correct the mistakes he made in his first UFC main event against Thiago Santos and the Brazilian didn't think twice when he was offered another headlining spot.
"My manager called in the morning last week and said if I want to be the main event and I said 'of course, you don't have to ask me.' I was so glad and so happy," he told Mirror Fighting .
"I always train for five rounds so my conditioning is good, I know I can do five rounds easy. Now I can bring my show back and I'm gonna bring the madness, it's gonna be different this time."
Walker hasn't had the best of luck with injuries during his time in the UFC, dislocating his shoulder after celebrating a win in 2019 and tearing his pectoral muscle last February.
His torn pec forced him out of a fight later that year and the injury was a contributing factor to his loss against former title challenger Santos.
"It's about the timing of the fight and my confidence. I fought five rounds against Thiago coming off an injury and I wasn't very confident in the power of my left arm," he continued.
"After an injury it's so hard. Now that I've fought again I've got my timing and confidence back, I'm good and my mental health is better.
Who wins on Saturday - Johnny Walker or Jamahal Hill? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below
"Everything was heavy on me. The surgery, not fighting for over a year, the pressure of my first main event. My brain froze a bit.
"My mindset was not ready for that but I still did good, so imagine now with my good mindset what I can do."
Walker's fight with Hill is the first on his new UFC contract. In a time when fighter pay is heavily criticised, Walker is happy with his deal and feels he needs to prove his "valour" before earning more money.
"You have to show your valour. That people like to watch you and you can put a show on, then you can start complaining if you don't get paid enough," he said.
Watch Johnny Walker headline against Jamahal Hill at UFC FIGHT NIGHT: WALKER vs. HILL on Saturday February 20, main card live from midnight on BT Sport 1. UFC Fight Pass Prelims are live from 9pm.
