Walker Says Short-Notice Main Event Call Was Too Good to Refuse

Johnny Walker has explained why he jumped at a short-notice heavyweight main event, saying the opportunity was simply too good to turn down. In an interview published on Tuesday, the Brazilian said UFC matchmaker Mick Maynard contacted him after training on October 29, and he accepted immediately, insisting he stays ready throughout the year. The 34-year-old meets Waldo Cortes-Acosta on Saturday, November 7, at the Meta APEX in Las Vegas, with the main card airing at 8 p.m. Eastern on Paramount+. The bout comes just 35 days after Walker's heavyweight debut, a first-round knockout of Mick Parkin on October 3 that ended at 3:35 of the opening round. Walker, who has 17 UFC appearances behind him, said that experience made him comfortable stepping in on short notice, and he praised Cortes-Acosta's quick, powerful boxing while pointing to training partner Alexander Volkov's victory over him as a useful reference. The main event was put together after the planned Gabriel Bonfim-Sean Brady matchup fell apart, and Walker had previously called for a fight with Marcin Tybura following the Parkin win. Cortes-Acosta, meanwhile, arrives on the back of unanimous-decision defeats to Volkov at UFC 328 in May and to Curtis Blaydes in September. Walker says the accelerated timetable has not changed his approach: he was already preparing, and the call only brought his heavyweight plans forward.