Johnny Walker is looking to get a short-notice fight against Misha Cirkunov at UFC 235.
An opening on the card next month came up over the weekend when it was announced Ovince Saint Preux (23-12 MMA, 11-7 UFC) had been forced out of his scheduled light heavyweight matchup with Cirkunov (14-4 MMA, 5-2 UFC) at UFC 235 due to an injury.
The news was only public for a short while before Walker (16-3 MMA, 2-0 UFC), a streaking prospect at 205 pounds, took to social media and asked to be inserted into the fight (via Instagram):
Hey @mishac911 , I heard you need a new opponent for UFC 235? I might know someone… 👀 @ufc @danawhite I am waiting for the call
UFC 235 takes place March 2 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and UFC Fight Pass.
Cirkunov currently is No. 14 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA light heavyweight rankings. He last saw action this past October when he picked up a first-round submission win over Patrick Cummins. The much-needed result snapped a two-fight skid for Cirkunov, who had been handed defeats by Glover Teixeira and Volkan Oezdemir.
Walker is looking to continue his climb up the rankings after making a splash since his UFC debut in November. The Brazilian has picked up consecutive knockout wins in a combined total of just over two minutes, with Walker’s most recent performance being a 15-second TKO of Justin Ledet at UFC on ESPN+ 2 this month.
If Walker does get the fight at UFC 235, he would be making a one-month turnaround from his win over Ledet.
For more on UFC 235, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.
