Three months removed from their frustrating no-contest at UFC 294, light heavyweight standouts Johnny Walker and Magomed Ankalaev will run it back this weekend (January 13) at UFC Vegas 84.
Just past the three-minute mark of their first meeting, Ankalaev landed a blatantly illegal, yet accidental knee to the head of Walker. Despite the fact that Walker appeared to be lucid and more than ready to continue the fight, the cageside physician saw something he did not like, prompting him to recommend the bout be stopped. A furious Walker attempted to push his way past the referee and restart the fight on his own.
depois da merda generalizada que deu na primeira luta do johnny walker vs magomed ankalaev
qual o palpite de vcs pra essa luta no próximo sábado?pic.twitter.com/8SmltkaccY
— alice 🦩 (@lilicomentx) January 11, 2024
In the end, cooler heads prevailed, particularly when Dana White entered the cage, and both fighters headed back to the locker room without further incident.
Understandably upset in the moment, Walker revealed that he was later thankful for the doctor’s decision, noting that he began to feel the effects of the illegal blow a week after the fight.
“The doctor has to make the smart decision for you, because we’re never gonna take the smart decision,” Walker told members of the media during the UFC Vegas 84 press event. “We always want to fight. I want to fight, it doesn’t matter if we’re bleeding, cut,” Walker said. “I am glad today because when I look back, one week after the fight, I feel my neck locked up, my collarbone a little bit inflamed. I received a big impact on my jaw. It was like a car crash.
“If I come back to the fight, 100 percent I’m going to be disadvantaged because I absorbed all the energy already, but we don’t feel because we are tough,” Walker continued. “I’m glad the doctor took the smart decision for me at the time… If I (kept) going, I’d have been disadvantaged… I think the fans should understand a little bit.”
Currently sitting in the No. 7 spot on the light heavyweight rankings, Walker has won three straight fights, scoring impressive victories against Ion Cutelaba, Paul Craig, and Anthony ‘Lionheart’ Smith.
Watch Johnny Walker’s full interview below:
ONE Championship Fighter Fariyar Aminipour Dies in Motorcycle Accident
In a sad bit of news, Muay Thai standout and ONE Championship fighter Fariyar Aminipour passed away unexpectedly after being involved in a reported motorcycle crash in Phuket. The 23-year-old Iranian’s gym, Tiger Muay Thai, confirmed the news on Instagram.
“It is with very heavy hearts that we announce the sudden passing of @fariyar_aminipour. Since joining our team in late 2022 with only amateur fighting experience, the extremely talented Fariyar skyrocketed in the professional Muay Thai world, defeating huge names of the sport on ONE Lumpinee events and becoming a top 10 ranked fighter.
“At only 23 years old, lion-hearted Fariyar had already accomplished so much and was well on track to achieving his dream of becoming a ONE world champion. Gone far, far too soon due to a tragic accident, Fariyar will be missed greatly and will remain in all of our thoughts.”
Aminipour burst onto the scene as part of ONE’s Friday Fights series, scoring four straight wins over Hiroki Suzuki, Ferrari Faritex, Rambolek, and Pongsiri. He last competed on December 22 at the promotion’s final event of 2023. He came up short, suffering a first-round loss to Kulabdam Sor Jor Piek Uthai.
It was the first and only loss of a career that has been tragically cut short.
Michael Chandler Plans on Finishing Conor McGregor Within Two Rounds
Though no official announcements have been made by the UFC, Conor McGregor’s long-awaited return to the Octagon appears to be set for June 29 when the promotion brings its annual International Fight Week back to Las Vegas. McGregor made the announcement himself on New Year’s Day, leaving some fans still skeptical considering how many false claims the Irishman has made regarding his quote-unquote “greatest comeback in combat sport’s history” thus far.
However, Michael Chandler attempted to quell some of those concerns, adding that despite the UFC’s radio silence on the subject, he has also heard some internal rumblings of a summertime clash with McGregor.
“I can confirm, that’s exactly what I’ve heard as well,” Chandler said on his YouTube channel. “Obviously, him announcing it makes it a little bit more true. You’ve got to remember, the UFC has not announced this yet. Also, if I take you back to Feb. of 2023, while he, the UFC, myself, we were all in talks about The Ultimate Fighter, Conor came out and put a long tweet out about The Ultimate Fighter and how he was going to do The Ultimate Fighter.
So Conor, in typical Conor fashion — Conor being Conor — wanted to break the news himself about The Ultimate Fighter, then it was confirmed and the UFC put it out there. It looks like that scenario has happened again. June 29, International Fight Week, me versus Conor.”
As for how he sees things playing out when the two former titleholders step inside the Octagon, Chandler believes he’ll put ‘Mystic Mac’ away within two rounds, sending him off into retirement.
“I finish Conor within the first two rounds and after that, probably end his career,” Chandler said. “There’s just so much more than what people think about on the surface level. I want battlegrounds of epic proportions, I want to stand in the cage with that man, I want to break that man’s will, I want to break his jaw, I want to separate him from consciousness, completely flatline him inside the octagon, and then we say farewell to the sport’s biggest star. Then we can go about our merry way.”
Check out Chandler’s comments below:
