What happened to Johnny Walker's shoulder? Revisiting one of the most bizarre injuries in the UFC and post-surgery depression
UFC light heavyweight Johnny Walker once sustained one of the most bizarre injuries in promotional history. Walker is known for his extreme celebrations and antics, both inside and outside the octagon. However, one of his extreme celebrations led to him getting surgery and suffering a bout with depression.
Back in 2019, the UFC light heavyweight took on Misha Cirkunov at UFC 235. Walker put on an impressive performance and won via TKO in the very first exchange after landing a flying knee. Following his victory, he rejoiced by performing the worm dance, but the celebration was cut short as he dislocated his shoulder.
As a result, he was forced to have surgery, and the setback put him on the sidelines for months. Speaking about it during an interview with TMZ Sports, Walker revealed that he suffered from post-surgery depression. He said:
"I don't know what depression is actually, but probably I was a little bit down at that time because I was in post-surgery depression, I think. I was not patient, I was a little bit sad, I lost myself a little bit, you know? And I fought against my brother when I was in Thailand. I shouldn't [have done] that. We just fixed it really quick but it was a bad fight."
Catch Johnny Walker's comments in the video below :
Johnny Walker is eager to get his revenge on Magomed Ankalaev
Johnny Walker is set to return to the octagon against Magomed Ankalaev this weekend in a highly anticipated rematch at the UFC Apex. The 205-pound duo first locked horns back at UFC 294, where their fight didn't make it past the first round.
Ankalaev landed an illegal knee when Walker was down. As such, the Brazilian was rendered unable to continue, according to the cage-side doctor, and the fight was ruled a No Contest. Speaking about the rematch during an interview with The Schmo, the No.7-ranked contender had this to say about his Russian foe:
"I can’t wait to put my hands on him and make him pay. It’s going to be like a little revenge because he landed a bad, illegal knee in Abu Dhabi. He has control of the fight. He knows what he was doing. You can never land an unintentional knee. Your knee doesn’t go in somebody’s face unintentionally, so I’m going to get him. I’m going to get my revenge."
Check out Johnny Walker's full comments in the interview below (1:25):