"That wasn’t a beautiful punch" - Chael Sonnen explains how bad "luck” has derailed Johnny Walker’s career
Chael Sonnen says he doesn't usually believe in bad luck, but admitted it played a huge role in Johnny Walker's case.
During an episode of his YouTube show, Sonnen weighed in on the downfall of the once-touted Brazilian prospect. According to Sonnen, no other rising star has suffered that amount of misfortune quite as Walker has. 'The American Gangster' said:
"He's always a main card, co-main event, main event spot but he's fighting some very tough guys. So there's not a lot of room for error. But if you look at what happened to him on Saturday, and I'm not trying to take away from Jamahal [Hill]... That wasn't a very hard punch. That wasn't a beautiful punch. That punch was not set up fantastically. Jamahal would admit that. Jamahal did not let that leave home plate thinking he was gonna he was going to round all the bases. But it hit Johnny in the one spot where that kind of power from that kind of shot can end your night. And it did. And that's only a one-inch circumference, right in the temple. It wasn't the power, it was the placement. Walker could have taken that anywhere else on his body so again, I don't have a better word to use so I call it [bad] luck"
Check out Chael Sonnen's comments on Johnny Walker below:
Walker was on the receiving end of a highlight-reel knockout against Jamahal Hill in the main event of UFC Fight Night 201. To Sonnen's point, Hill appeared to have landed a moderately-powered right-hand flush on Walker's temple. Although the shot wasn't too powerful, it was enough to put Walker to sleep and secure the victory for Hill.
In addition, Sonnen discussed the injury Walker suffered during one of his post-fight celebrations. The Brazilian dislocated his left shoulder while performing the dance move, 'The Worm', following his victory over Misha Cirkunov in 2019.
Watch Walker dislocate his shoulder while celebrating a win in the video below:
Johnny Walker vows never to give up despite recent losing skid
Johnny Walker may be down, but he's certainly not out. Taking to Instagram after his loss, the 29-year-old addressed his fans by giving them an update. He wrote:
"I’m fine, on to the next one. Thank you all for the support. Love you. This is the sport, one wins and the other one loses, but I never give up." (Translated from Portugese to English)
Walker has now lost four out of his last five outings. The last time he won a fight was against Ryan Spann at UFC Fight Night 178 in September 2020.