Johnny Walker thinks he may have suffered a serious foot injury in his UFC Fight Night 193 main event loss.
Walker (18-6 MMA, 4-3 UFC) fell short in his first octagon headliner Saturday with a unanimous decision defeat to Thiago Santos (22-9 MMA, 14-8 UFC) in the light heavyweight matchup at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. He’s now 1-3 in his past four fights dating back to November 2019.
Prior to the bout, the expectations were Walker and Santos would put on a thriller. It didn’t pan out that way, though. Instead, it turned into a methodical chess match for 25 minutes. Santos got 48-47 scorecards across the board, which means Walker was only one round removed from victory.
The difference may have been limitations to Walker’s offense. The Brazilian posted to his Instagram story after the fight that he thinks he sustained a break or fracture in his foot that prevented him from kicking (via Twitter):
Johnny Walker believes he broke his foot.#UFCVegas38 pic.twitter.com/mYX8dIfiqB
— Alex Behunin (@AlexBehunin) October 3, 2021
“I think I broke my foot a little bit. A little fracture. That’s why I stop kicking.”
A victory for Walker over a former UFC title challenger in Santos would’ve done wonders for his position at 205 pounds. Instead, he’s forced to go back to the drawing board and figure out what’s next.
It doesn’t appear Walker is deterred by the result, however. He said he’s going to take some major lessons away from his first five-round bout, and expects the experience to benefit him going forward (via Twitter):
The result don’t come but I’m very happy, 5 rounds , against top 5 , and i get so much experience and I learn and feel it , so let’s go , keep working , thank @danawhite @ufc for the opportunity, God bless you all
— Johnny Walker (@JohnnyWalker) October 3, 2021
The result don’t come but I’m very happy, 5 rounds , against top 5 , and i get so much experience and I learn and feel it , so let’s go , keep working , thank @danawhite @ufc for the opportunity, God bless you all
The exact severity of Walker’s foot injury is unknown, so there’s no current timeline for him to get back in the octagon.