Johnny Walker still has a hard time understanding why the ref stopped his UFC 294 fight against Magomed Ankalaev.
In the first round, Ankalaev had Walker down along the fence. The Brazilian had a knee down as he was looking for an opportunity to get back to his feet. However, as he was down, Ankalaev threw a knee that connected to Walker’s face and the ref stopped the fight.
During the stoppage, the ref brought in the doctor to make sure Walker wasn’t concussed so the fight could continue. According to Johnny Walker, he says the doctor asked him if he wanted to continue and he said yes, but after being asked where they were, he said the desert which the doctor didn’t like as an answer so stopped the fight.
“He asked me if I wanted to continue fighting,” Walker said on The MMA Hour. “I said, ‘Yes.’ He said, ‘Where are you?’ I didn’t want to say the wrong answer because I was excited when he was doing the test and I wanted to say the right answer. I thought to say Abu Dhabi … and then I said, ‘Fine, I’m in the f****** desert, bro. I’m here. I’m good. … I’m in the desert. I’m in the Middle East.’ I can speak good English. The doctor wasn’t in his native language and had a heavy accent as well, I understand what he said. I tried to explain and give the right answer to him, but in the middle of the situation, maybe I fight for the title shot and everything, my mind is going a thousand miles an hour.
“I received the shot in my face and I was OK to fight. Even my last fight against Anthony Smith, he said I attacked his family, I had no idea what he was talking about. ‘You attacked my family.’ ‘What?’ I didn’t understand,” Walker continued. “It’s the same situation. It’s very complicated because you go a thousand miles an hour, you’re fighting for your life and your career, hopefully get a title shot after, and everything’s over, it’s very disappointing.”
After the doctor stopped the fight, all hell broke loose as Johnny Walker shoved the ref as he wanted to continue fighting. He and Magomed Ankalaev tried to continue to fight one another even though security was in the Octagon.
Johnny Walker doesn’t understand why he didn’t get time to recover
According to Johnny Walker, his anger came from the fight being stopped in such an important scrap. Had Walker won, he likely would have gotten a title shot. He also was angry that he didn’t get time to try and recover, as you do with a groin shot.
“They didn’t give me time to calm down, to recover,” Walker said. “If I had gotten kicked in the balls, I have five minutes to recover. I’m kneed in the face, I have nothing to recover. An illegal knee in the face? It’s more disappointing because the same thing happened with Aljamain and he became a champ after a knee like that.
“I don’t want to become champion [like that], but maybe take points off of him and the fight continues, or maybe disqualify him or whatever. It’s an illegal shot. He could put me out with a very illegal shot. I could have damage in my brain. Before, I gave him a legal and intentional knee on the middle, I came in with the flying knee and I missed. But on the floor, you know the rules. It’s a very dirty move. I’m upset,” Walker concluded.
Johnny Walker is hopeful he can return soon as he knows he is a win away from a title shot.
