The light heavyweight bout between former UFC Light Heavyweight Championship challenger Anthony Smith and Johnny Walker is the co-main event of UFC on ABC in Charlotte, North Carolina. Originally billed for the main event, this three-rounder will pit a talented Smith against the resurgent Walker. American Smith is number five in the light heavyweight rankings in a contest between two top ten fighters, while the Brazilian sits at number seven.
MMA: UFC Light Heavyweight
Location: Spectrum Center, Charlotte, North Carolina, USA
Where to watch: ABC / ESPN+
Date: 14.5.2023, 05:00
Anthony Smith
Smith, 34, returned to the UFC in 2016 after a one-fight stint three years earlier. He immediately established himself in the promotion leading to a championship fight in 2019, where Smith lost to Jon Jones via unanimous decision. The American seemed to lose momentum after the championship setback but regained his composure to go on a three-fight streak submitting Ryan Spann in late 2021 to make it three wins in three. His 2022 foray saw him succumbing to a second-round TKO to Magomed Ankalaev. Smith competed in several regional promotions before his UFC bow, winning several Middleweight championships.
Hopefully, he brings the best version of himself because I’m going to bring the best that I can. I’m going to prepare for the best version of Anthony Smith. Hopefully, he prepared well, as well, because if not, it’s going to be a first-round knockout, a first-round finish. I want to fight more. I want to show everybody my game and show everybody how good I am, so hopefully, he’s a tough fighter for me.
Tale of the Tape
- Age: 34
- Height: 6’ 4”
- Reach: 76”
- Record: 36-17
Johnny Walker
After a successful Brazilian regional circuit career, Johnny Walker earned a UFC contract after defeating Henrique da Silva at the Dana White Contender Series in 2018. He made his UFC debut in November 2018, stopping Khalil Rountree Jr. with a first-round KO (elbow). He secured a couple of first-round TKOs that were performances of the Night before his train was stopped by Corey Anderson, also in round one. That loss ushered in a bad run for the Brazilian, who fights out of Dublin, Ireland. He comes into this matchup 2-0 in his last two after first-round finishes of Ion Cutelaba and Paul Craig. The 31-year-old’s last fight was on the 21st of January of this year.
Tale of the Tape
- Age: 31
- Height: 6’ 5”
- Reach: 82”
- Record: 20-7
We’re just training to beat Anthony. In this game, you want to get into the top 10, top five, and championship. It’s everything you can do to bring the victory because it’s more mind games now, and all of the little details, and everything you can add to bring that victory, I’m going to do my best to do.
Betting Odds
Bet 365 cannot separate the two fighters, with both priced at 1.90 odds each for the win. 1XBET values over 1.5 rounds at 2 odds, with the under going for 1.79 odds. Johnny Walker to win by KO or TKO is priced at 2.1 odds on Coinplay.
