Report – Anthony Smith vs. Johnny Walker slated to headline UFC event on May 13.

A light heavyweight division clash between one-time title challenger and the current #5 ranked contender, Anthony Smith, and Brazilian fan-favorite, the #7 rated, Johnny Walker, is slated to take main event honors at a UFC Fight Night event on May 13. At the time of publication, an official location, or venue for the event has yet to be determined by the organization.
Sidelined from active competition since July of last year, Nebraska veteran, Smith most recently made the walk at UFC 277 against fellow one-time title challenger, Magomed Ankalaev, suffering an ankle injury en route to a second round ground strikes TKO loss.
As for Walker, the Straight Blast Gym staple managed to lodge his second consecutive victory earlier this year at UFC 283 on home soil in Brazil, defeating Scottish grappler, Paul Craig with first round strikes. MMA Ideas was first to report the main event slot between Anthony Smith and Johnny Walker for May 13.Â
Seeing his three-fight winning spree halted in his TKO loss to Russian standout, Ankalaev back in July of last year, Smith, who previously challenged former light heavyweight champion, Jon Jones for undisputed gold back in 2019, had enjoyed a run of finishes over Devin Clark, Jimmy Crute, and Ryan Spann.
Over the course of his storied Octagon tenure, Smith has managed to land victories over the likes of Hector Lombard, Rashad Evans, Shogun Rua, Volkan Oezdemir, and Alexander Gustafsson to boot.
20-7 as a professional, prior to his Rio de Janeiro homecoming against Craig, Dana White’s Contender Series alum, Walker had landed his first submission victory during his UFC stay with a rear-naked choke effort against Ion Cutelaba.
Dropping a loss to current light heavyweight champion, Jamahal Hill in his last professional loss, Walker has notched triumphs over Khalil Rountree, Misha Cirkunov, and common-foe, Spann during his time with the promotion.
Senior writer for FightBook MMA. An aspiring mixed martial arts reporter based in Ireland. Producer of news articles, interviews, opinion features, and exclusive features such as, ‘The Fallout’, ‘The Breakdown, and, ‘This Week In MMA’.
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