UFC FIGHT NIGHT 170 Brazil: Johnny Walker v. Nikita Krylov
Site of UFC Fight Night 170
Nikita Krylov vs. Johnny Walker
Saturday, March 14, 2020
Ginásio Nilson Nelson, Brasilia, Brazil
Johnny Walker -145 / Nikita Krylov +125
TV: ESPN and ESPN+
Johnny Walker and Nikita Krylov will square of inside the octagon at UFC Fight Night 170 in Brazil on Saturday. The fight promises to showcase two 20 something gunslingers in the UFC’s marquee light-heavyweight division.
Remember that the under card will get started early, at 3:00 p.m. EDT on Saturday. All the fights will be broadcast on ESPN and ESPN+.
The odds makers have Johnny Walker favored at -145. Nikita Krylov comes back as the underdog at +125.
Johnny Walker
Johnny Walker enters into the fight with a 17-4 pro MMA record. He had been riding a 9 fight winning streak until he was stopped by the punches of Corey Anderson. That loss came in the first round of his most recent appearance inside the octagon at UFC 244 back in November.
Many people will argue that Walker’s bravado caught up to him. As Joe Rogan likes to say, “You can’t play games inside the octagon.”
It wasn’t the first time Walker hurt himself inside the cage. Who can forget his antics after flying knee KO of Misha Cirkunov at UFC 235:
Power and charisma at UFC Fight Night Brasilia
Walker looks enormous even at light heavyweight. He stands 6’5″ and has an 82″ reach. Up until he was stopped in his tracks at his last contest, pundits were claiming he would soon be challenging Jon Jones for the championship belt.
Walker, who was born Walker Johnny da Silva Barra de Souza in Rio de Jainero, Brazil, will be fighting at home.
He is a powerful and charismatic fighter, and he will surely be looking to make a statement coming back home after a loss.
Nikita Krylov
Nikita Krylov comes into the fight with a 25-7 record, and he is a finisher. 10 of his wins have come by submission, while 15 of those victories have come by way of submission. Krylov is just as dangerous on the ground as he is standing.
However Krylov has dropped 3 of his last eight fights. In two of those three losses he was submitted.
Interestingly, this will be the 4th fight in Krylov’s second stint in the UFC. To date, he has fought a total of 12 times inside the UFC octagon where he enjoys a record of 7-5. He will be looking to capitalize on lucky number 13 on Saturday. He hopes to avoid back to back losses for the first time in his career.
Krylov is a tough Russian fighter who was born and is fighting out of Donetsk, Ukraine.
Double threat
Krylov is a UFC veteran who can take a punch and possesses powerful striking of his own. He can light you up with punches, elbows, kicks, and knees.
He also has a strong clinch game, and is not afraid to take the fight to the mat. Once there, he is a proven finisher on the ground. He has vanquished a total of six former foes via rear naked strangle.
Krylov is so tough that he is difficult to ignore. If anyone has a puncher’s chance, he does. He has proven he can take a shot, so it is possible that he might just hang around long enough to either take Walker our or get to the judges’ score cards. Don’t forger he is a proven finisher on the ground as well. Anything is possible, but I don’t think any of those scenarios is likely.
I think Walker beat himself in his last fight against Anderson. He was showboating and messing around and he got caught. Who can forget his antics after flying knee KO of Misha Cirkunov at UFC 235
Prediction: Johnny Walker v. Nikita Krylov
I think that Walker will enjoy an obvious size advantage on Saturday. If he can prevent Krylov from taking him down, Walker’s power and pure athleticism will test Krylov’s chin in a major way. I predict that Walker will want to play games and put on a show for his native country in the first round. And after 5 minutes of bounce around the cage, Walker will knock Krylov out in the second round.
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