Johnny Walker got a much needed win to kick off the pay-per-view main card at UFC 279.
Following a devastating knockout loss to Jamahal Hill in his last outing, Walker was in prime form on Saturday night as he snatched a nasty rear-naked choke to finish Ion Cutelaba at just 4:37 in the opening round. The victory put Walker back on track after back-to-back defeats inside the octagon.
“Dana [White], I’m getting married Dec. 1, I need the bonus,” Walker shouted after the win. I don’t just want to knock out people, but I also want to put them to the ground .”
An exchange of head kicks led to a takedown from Cutelaba as Walker started playing defense from the bottom after ending up on the ground just seconds into the fight. Cutelaba held control of the fight until Cutelaba attempted to move up. Walker then jumped free and grabbed a bodylock before he was thrown to the ground by the Moldovan.
From there, Walker started looking for a rear-naked choke with Cutelaba doing his best to defend the submission with the Brazilian constantly threatening on his back.
While Cutelaba tried to get out of the situation, Walker made Walker pay. He quickly sank his arm underneath the neck and secured the choke just a second later.
Cutelaba might be grumbling from his choke while he tried valiantly for survival, but eventually he was forced to tap to get to sleep.
It was a strong showing from Walker, who was once considered a serious threat to the UFC light heavyweight title after he earned several splashy finishes when he first arrived in the promotion. Walker avoided a possible three-fight losing streak at UFC as he tries to climb back up to 205.
