Miami — Light heavyweight Johnny Walker enters UFC 327 looking to put together back-to-back wins.
This time out, Walker (22-9, 1NC) is facing Dominick Reyes, a former title challenger, with the goal of fighting three times in 2026 now that he’s made the move to Las Vegas and Xtreme Couture.
“I’m ready to fight the next level fighters, and become a high level [fighter] too,” Walker said, speaking with media outlets including Cageside Press on Wednesday.
After moving around from fight camp to fight camp early in his career, which took him all the way to Ireland, Walker believes he’s found the key to his success.
“I’m the first fighter of my family. Nobody taught me how to fight or what path to take. I was discovering myself, and after a lot of years of experience, I understand what I need and what it takes to be the best. And today I live in the best place, I have the best training partners, the best coaches, best everything,” he stated. “So now I can compete against the best.”
Reyes has had his chin questioned at times after suffering some nasty-looking knockouts over the years. Walker is known for the chaos he brings to the cage, but to him, Reyes’ chin isn’t necessarily a weak spot.
“It’s not about getting knocked out often. Everybody can get knocked out, just if you take the right punch in the right moment. There’s no iron chin. There’s no such thing,” suggested Walker. “It’s just the timing. If you get somebody at the right time, the right spot, nobody has an iron chin.”
“It’s just about time and accuracy. Whatever happens, who lands first on the right spot, [the other fighter] is going to sleep.”
With a win over Reyes, meanwhile, Walker believes he could be in the title picture. “100%, because win streaks are not everything. Khalil Rountree fought [for the title] when he was number eight. I’ve been number five, and I’ve never had the opportunity for fight for the title shot yet. But I know my potential, and I believe two wins against two good guys, or three, can put me in a really good spot.”
Watch the full UFC 327 media day appearance by Johnny Walker above.
