A light heavyweight match-up that has been in the works for the past several weeks has landed on the UFC’s February 19, 2022 card.
MMA Fighting was first to report the date for Johnny Walker vs. Jamahal Hill, a pairing initially reported by MMA Ideas back in mid-December.
Walker (18-6) fought just once in 2021, dropping a unanimous decision to Thiago Santos in October. The previous year, he snapped the first two-fight losing streak of his career when he knocked out Ryan Spann in what can only be described as a wild fight.
Adding a twist to the February 19 date, Walker announced just yesterday that he’d contracted COVID-19. It’s the Brazilian’s second time battling the disease.
Hill (9-1, 1NC) will enter the bout off a win over Jimmy Crute — a knockout that came in under a minute at UFC on ESPN 31 in December. “Sweet Dreams” had suffered the first defeat of his career one fight prior, stopped by Paul Craig in a fight that saw Hill dislocate his elbow while caught in an arm-bar, surviving that only to succumb to strikes shortly after.
The UFC’s February 19, 2022 event, expected to be UFC Fight Night 202, currently has the following bouts announced:
Jesse Strader vs. Chad Anheliger
Austin Lingo vs. Jonathan Pearce
Chas Skelly vs. Mark Striegl
Kyle Daukaus vs. Julian Marquez
Khalid Taha vs. Mario Bautista
John Makdessi vs. Nasrat Haqparast
Diana Belbiţă vs. Gloria de Paula
Jessica-Rose Clark vs. Stephanie Egger
Ilir Latifi vs. Alexander Romanov
Johnny Walker vs. Jamahal Hill
