SALT LAKE CITY — Johnny Walker made an emphatic statement in his heavyweight debut at UFC 332, destroying Mick Parkin with a monster knee knockout on Saturday in Salt Lake City. The former light heavyweight moved up to heavyweight for the first time and the change paid immediate dividends, as he closed the distance and finished Parkin with devastating power.
Once Walker secured a Thai clinch, it was lights out for Parkin. A powerful knee broke through Parkin's defenses and sent him on a scary spill to the canvas as his body went completely limp. The finish was a reminder of the incredible knockout power that once had Walker pegged as a title challenger at 205 pounds.
Walker was originally supposed to make his UFC heavyweight debut this past August against Ante Delija, but Delija withdrew from that bout and forced Walker to wait until Saturday. He made up for lost time in a big way, wasting no time showing what his added size and strength can deliver at heavyweight.
Afterwards, Walker joked that he had been intentionally "nerfing" his own abilities at a lower weight class and now feels ready to perform at his peak. "I lost muscle mass, I dehydrate my brain, everything," Walker said. "Now I have weight. I'm buff and I can do shit. I don't think there's no heavyweight that can fight like me." The knockout came on the undercard of Natalia Silva vs. Wang Cong for the vacant flyweight title at UFC 332.