Walker Reveals Weight Cut Struggles Before UFC 332 Debut

Johnny Walker says moving to heavyweight has unlocked training sessions he could not complete at light heavyweight.

The Brazilian, who faces Mick Parkin at UFC 332 on Saturday, told MMA Fighting that severe weight cutting left him blacking out during sparring in the final weeks before fights. "When I was light heavyweight, one month before the fight, like the last three weeks where you can train, I couldn't," Walker said. "I'd have when you feel everything [going] dark, like 'Wait, wait, wait.' In the middle of a spar, we'd have to wait."

Walker described the blackouts as unrelated to cardio or heart rate. Per MMA Mania, he would experience a buzzing in his ears and dizziness mid-round, forcing him to pause and recover before resuming. Now at heavyweight, Walker says he trains at full intensity through fight week with full glycogen stores and no physical depletion.

The 32-year-old burst onto the UFC scene in 2019 with three straight knockout wins, all earning Performance of the Night bonuses. He is 1-3-1 in his last five bouts and opens the early prelims Saturday against the 10-1 Parkin. The matchup was originally scheduled for August 1 in Belgrade but moved to Salt Lake City after an opponent injury gave Walker two additional months to settle into the division.

This article first appeared on BoxingNews.com and was syndicated with permission.