Walker was varied and unorthodox in the first round, working dangerously with low kicks, backfists and kicks to the head, but in the second five minutes he decided to give up the initiative, for which he immediately paid the price, allowing the Russian to knock him down with a right jab and finish him near the net.
In the interview after the fight Magomed Ankalaev said that he expects to get another title shot and in the next fight to fight for the championship belt, the owner of which is currently Brazilian Alex Pereira.
In the event’s second main event, UFC veteran Jim Miller picked up his second straight early victory, finishing Gabriel Benitez with a third-round neckbreaker before expressing his willingness to compete at the UFC 300 anniversary event, challenging commentator Paul Felder, who hasn’t stepped into the octagon since 2020.
Opening the main card of the tournament was a fight featuring former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Orlovsky, who lost three times by unanimous decision to Waldo Cortez-Acosta by a score of 29-28 after three rounds.
Other results included early wins for Bruno Ferreira, Marcus McGee, Gene Silva, Nicolas Motta and Joshua Wang.
All results from UFC Fight Night 234.