RIO DE JANEIRO – Johnny Walker came out of the gate firing at UFC 283 and it resulted in a quick finish of Paul Craig.
Walker (20-7 MMA, 6-4 UFC) took advantage of Craig’s pursuit of the takedown and made him pay with heavy shots for the TKO finish at the 2:16 mark of Round 1 (via Twitter):
🤯 @JOHNNYWALKER JUST TORE THE ROOF OFF OF @JEUNESSEARENA!!! #UFC283 pic.twitter.com/fe0NDeRwPi
— UFC (@ufc) January 22, 2023
The light heavyweight bout opened up the UFC 283 main card at Jeunesse Arena.
After a feeling-out process on the feet in the early going, Craig (16-6-1 MMA, 8-6-1 UFC) tried for a single-leg takedown on Walker. The Brazilian showed incredible balance, however, and managed to land a pair of hard punches on Craig that got him hurt.
Craig stumbled to the ground, and Walker continued to land shots until the referee stepped in.
With back-to-back wins on his record, Walker made it clear in his post-fight interview with Daniel Cormier that he has big plans for the future.
“I don’t give a f*ck (who is next),” Walker told Cormier. “This is my division now. You are the big champ-champ (Cormier). I want to be like you. I want to be like Cormier with two belts.”
Up-to-the-minute UFC 283 results include:
- Johnny Walker def. Paul Craig via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 2:16
- Ihor Potieria def. Mauricio Rua via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 4:05
- Brunno Ferreira def. Gregory Rodrigues via knockout (punch) – Round 1, 4:13
- Thiago Moises def. Melquizael Costa via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 4:05
- Gabriel Bonfim def. Mounir Lazzez via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 1, 0:49
- Jailton Almeida def. Shamil Abdurakhimov via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 2:56
- Cody Stamann def. Luan Lacerda via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Ismael Bonfim def. Terrance McKinney via knockout (knee) – Round 2, 2:17
- Nicolas Dalby def. Warlley Alves via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
- Josiane Nunes def. Zarah Fairn via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Daniel Marcos def. Saimon Oliveira via knockout (punches) – Round 2, 2:18
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 283.
