Final Combating Championship (UFC) Mild Heavyweight contenders Anthony Smith and Johnny Walker will collide this weekend (Sat., Could 13, 2023) inside Spectrum Middle in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Smith hasn’t been contained in the cage since July 2022, when he suffered an unlucky ankle damage that resulted in a loss to Magomed Ankalaev. Previous to that defeat, Smith had put collectively a high quality trio of end victories, restating himself as a prime contender at 205-pounds. In the meantime, Walker is within the midst of a minor resurgence of his personal. After shedding 4 of 5 fights between 2019-2022, Walker enters this co-main occasion slot driving a two-fight win streak consisting solely of first-round finishes.
Each males want to break again into the title combine, so let’s take a better take a look at the keys to victory for every man:
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ALL-ACTION HEAVYWEIGHT BATTLE! Final Combating Championship (UFC) returns to Charlotte, N.C., on Sat., Could 13, 2023, for the primary time since 2018 with an all-action primary occasion between Heavyweight finishers as No. 9-ranked contender, Jairzinho Rozenstruik, goals to land one other signature knockout when he takes on surging No. 12-seeded contender, Jailton Almeida. In UFC Charlotte’s ESPN+-streamed co-main occasion (additionally on ABC), No. 5-ranked Mild Heavyweight contender, Anthony Smith, faces No. 7 Johnny Walker in a bout assured to ship fireworks.
Don’t miss a single second of face-punching motion!
Anthony Smith
File: 35-17
Key Wins: Ryan Spann (UFC Vegas 37), Volkan Oezdemir (UFC Struggle Evening 138), Alexander Gustafsson (UFC Struggle Evening 153), Jimmy Crute (UFC 261), Mauricio Rua (UFC Struggle Evening 134), Hector Lombard (UFC Struggle Evening 116), Devin Clark (UFC Vegas 15)
Key Losses: Jon Jones (UFC 235), Glover Teixeira (UFC Jacksonville), Aleksandar Rakic (UFC Vegas 8), Thiago Santos (UFC Struggle Evening 125), Magomed Ankalaev (UFC 277)
Keys to Victory: With over 50 skilled fights on his file, Smith is a veteran of the best order. He’s been battle for a very long time now, and he’s managed to enhance all his areas of weak spot by no less than a point, in addition to strengthen up his glorious ending instincts.
On this bout, Smith’s sturdiness is his best asset. That’s an odd factor to say a few man with 14 losses through stoppage, however a lot of these defeats got here early in his profession. Anybody who has stopped “Lionheart” within the final decade has been pressured to essentially take him out, and Smith has survived some tough spots to come back again in different wins.
Comparatively, Walker simply doesn’t react properly to being hit. Due to this fact, Smith’s technique must be to patiently press his means ahead and pressure the pocket. If he can create exchanges the place each athletes are touchdown, chances are high excessive that Walker fall first.
Johnny Walker
File: 20-7
Key Wins: Paul Craig (UFC 283), Misha Cirkunov (UFC 235), Ryan Spann (UFC Vegas 11), Khalil Rountree Jr (UFC Struggle Evening 140), Ion Cutelaba (UFC 279)
Key Losses: Jamahal Hill (UFC Vegas 48), Corey Anderson (UFC 244), Nikita Krylov (UFC Struggle Evening 170), Thiago Santos (UFC Vegas 38)
Keys to Victory: Walker is a particular glass cannon. He’s a superb finisher with enormous energy in all of his weapons on the toes, however he’s additionally susceptible to getting clipped and completed in return. He’s additionally a jiu-jitsu black belt, however Walker has been bullied on the ground too.
This bout reads like a check of how properly Walker can implement a sport plan. Certain, he might try to only destroy Smith instantly, it’d work. It additionally may lead to his fifth knockout loss, which appears avoidable if Walker makes full use of his talent set.
The Brazilian goes to be the quicker man by a big margin. He can use that benefit by sustaining his distance and blasting highly effective kicks, significantly to the lead leg. If he’s transferring his toes and slamming residence kicks, Walker ought to be capable to keep forward on the scorecards.
In response, Smith must kick extra or stress extra closely. In both case, that’s a gap for Walker to look to wrestle offensively, one other technique that has troubled Smith over time. Kicking and wrestling looks as if the most secure wager for Walker, who needs to keep away from that center vary the place he tends to get clobbered.
Backside Line
This must be a enjoyable match up between two finishers ranked within the Mild Heavyweight Prime 10.
Smith, remarkably, continues to be simply 34 years of age. He’s nonetheless within the prime of his athletic profession, and he’s acquired greater than sufficient expertise to capitalize. At this level, Smith is gunning for a late profession, Robbie Lawler-esque second the place the whole lot clicks and he goes on a tear. He’s acquired a 12 months or two left the place that’s possible, and victory right here places him proper again in rivalry.
It wasn’t all that way back that he was scheduled to battle the present champion, in spite of everything.
Walker can be within the prime of his profession, and it stays to be seen if he can rebuild the momentum he had again in 2018. His 2022 knockout loss to Jamahal Hill retains him farther from a title shot than Smith, however he’s a well-liked finisher who might depart the cage along with his first Prime 5 victory. Mild Heavyweight is broad open proper now, so victory right here might nonetheless set him up for a title eliminator subsequent outing.
At UFC Charlotte, Anthony Smith and Johnny Walker will throw down within the co-main occasion. Which man earns the victory?
