Johnny Walker gets the green light for a heavyweight switch following Ngannou sparring

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC

Johnny Walker’s plans in the UFC go beyond just making noise at light heavyweight.

Walker is looking to take another step forward in the division when he faces Dominick Reyes on Saturday night in Miami.

After back-to-back knockout losses to Magomed Ankalaev and Volkan Oezdemir, Walker got back on track last August with a TKO win over Zhang Mingyang.

The 34-year-old now needs to get past former title challenger Dominick Reyes if he wants to build any momentum. But Walker isn’t just thinking about a run at 205 pounds – he’s also interested in moving up to heavyweight down the line.

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC

Johnny Walker eyes heavyweight transition after training with Francis Ngannou ahead of UFC 327

Walker’s fight with Reyes comes on a UFC 327 card headlined by the next light heavyweight title clash, with Jiri Prochazka and Carlos Ulberg facing off to determine Alex Pereira’s successor.

This bout features two fighters who have both faced Jon Jones. Reyes went up against ‘Bones’ inside the cage, while Walker made headlines early in his career as a potential challenger to him at 205 pounds.

Jones eventually moved up to heavyweight, and it seems Walker is planning to follow the same path sooner rather than later.

Walker has been putting in work with Francis Ngannou at Xtreme Couture, preparing for the former UFC champion’s MMA return, which is set to air on Netflix this May.

After those sessions, Walker feels more confident about how he might fit in at heavyweight.

“I’m thinking about it because the diet has been rough,” Walker told MMA Fighting. “If there’s an opportunity, if a heavyweight fight gets cancelled or anything, I’m in.

“I’ve been training with Francis Ngannou, sparring with him. Even while dieting, with about a 44-pound difference since I’m much lighter now, I’ve been able to train with him just fine. Even in wrestling, strength, and ground-and-pound. If I can do that while dieting, imagine without it?

“It’d be way better (at heavyweight) because on a diet I can’t train properly,” he continued. “I get dizzy, low on energy because of the lack of carbs. I can’t wait to move up and be able to train at 100 percent, even close to the fight.

“When a heavyweight is fighting on the same card as me and I see them training during fight week, doing all kinds of stuff, and I’m there depleted, no energy, it’s tough… I’m going to move up. It won’t take long.”

A string of knockout losses had raised questions about whether he could withstand power shots anymore.

But after taking some heavy shots from ‘The Predator’ during training sessions without issue, Walker feels ready for whatever power Reyes brings when they meet in Miami this weekend.

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