Anthony Smith vs Johnny Walker Prediction: the Bookies Got Confused

On the night of May 13 in the United States, there will be a UFC tournament. The co-main event will feature Anthony Smith and Johnny Walker. The bout will take place in the featherweight division, and the fighters are ranked fifth and seventh. 

Anthony Smith has been in the top ranks for a long time, and three years ago, he even fought for the title against the very Jon Jones. After that defeat, Smith lost to the best fighters (Teixeira, Rakic, Ankalaev) but beat easier guys (Gustafsson, Clark, Crute, Spann).

He's got unbelievable grit and patience. He's excellent in wrestling and standing, so he's the top one (but not a gatekeeper, as some people think). Considering experience and motivation, he doesn't look like an underdog in the fight against Walker, as the bookies did. Smith is an ambitious guy, and getting to the title bout is a challenge.

His last fight so far has not gone well for Anthony. Agaginst Magomed Ankalaev looked quite decent. He hit hard in the standing and hardly failed the first round. In the second round, after a poor take-down, he ended up on the ground and was mercilessly beaten by Ankalaev's hammer fists. The referee stopped the fight early. But it turned out later that Smith continued to fight with broken leg after low-kick, so there can be no questions. Anthony couldn't take the bout under any circumstances, but why he continued is another question.

Walker is an exciting fighter and puts on some entertaining performances as well. But he isn't quite a contender for the title, even though he promised to take the belt in 2024. Walker fights brightly and beautifully and wins by knockouts. His black streak might be over, as he failed four bouts out of five from 2019 to 2022. Johnny is on a streak of two straight first-round victories, but the opponents were no match for Anthony Smith - Paul Craig and Ion Cutelaba.

Although a striker, Walker tends to lose to those who also like to fight in the standing (Krylov, Santos, Hill). Anthony Smith hits hard. After he kneads his opponent, he'll just continue beating him on the parterre.

That's why we find the bookmaker odds very interesting, so we'll bet on Smith. As for how long the fight will last, we think betting on the total is risky.