Johnny Walker has been out longer than he hoped, and would love to be part of UFC 242 in September.
Las Vegas, NV — “I’m so sad. I don’t like this wait. I can’t wait to come back.” That was Johnny Walker’s immediate response to being asked about the feeling of being in Las Vegas at a big event like UFC 239, but not being able to fight.
Walker has been out more than a minute, rehabbing a shoulder injury incurred while celebrating his last win, in typical Walker fashion. And he’s not loving it. “Two months, stopped [training],” Walker said backstage at the T-Mobile Arena over the weekend. “Like 100% stopped it, after my surgery, to recover my shoulder.”
“Now I start training again, I can beat some heavy bags and lift weights. Start to train properly,” he said with a hint of relief in his voice. But he admitted to media outlets including Cageside Press that “the last two months, after my surgery, was the worst months of my life, because I can’t do nothing.”
Despite injuring himself doing “the worm” in celebration after his last win, Walker has no plans to stop “I don’t need to change my celebrations. The doctor fixed my shoulder, now I can celebrate properly,” he said Saturday. Asked directly if he’d keep going on with his post-fight antics, “Yeah of course, why not?” he answered.
Boss Dana White might not be too happy with that. “He told [me to stop],” Walker admitted, “but I won’t hurt myself again, no way.”
So where does his Walker, who seems to be dancing before and after fights, get his inspiration? “When I’m younger, I watched a lot of Michael Jackson, he’s great,” said Walker. But can he pull off the Moonwalk? “Maybe.”
Having been out longer than he wanted, clearly, a return date could be imminent. Walker said that while nothing is set in stone, “maybe Corey Anderson at UFC Abu Dhabi [UFC 242], but it’s not 100 percent.”
