"No Ego" Johnny Walker Explains Why Toughness Means Nothing Without Intelligence
03/28/2025 08:27 PM
Johnny Walker believes being tough in the fight game isn’t enough.
On June 7, Walker will return to the Octagon for a clash with Azamat Murzakanov at UFC 316 in Montreal. Walker will look to climb back into the win column after coming up winless in his last three outings.
Ahead of his 15th walk to the Octagon, Walker made an appearance on the JAXXON Podcast with Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson. There, the Brazilian stressed the importance of checking your ego at the door when heading into the gym every day and shared his belief that toughness and intelligence go hand-in-hand, especially in combat sports.
“You need to be smart because it’s your career, it’s how you pay your bills, and you have to train without no ego,” Walker said. “Like if somebody gonna make me tap on the gym, of course I know I can resist a little bit as much as I can, but if I see that they gonna get hurt, I going to tap, cuz doesn’t work there’s no money involved. That’s going to nowhere.”
Johnny Walker faces another tough test at UFC 316
Walker has shown flashes of greatness over the years, earning big wins over Ion Cutelaba, Paul Craig, and Anthony ‘Lionheart’ Smith, but he’s struggled to climb up the light heavyweight rankings with losses against ex-titleholder Jamahal Hill, current 205-pound king Magomed Ankalaev, and ninth-ranked contender Volkan Oezdemir.
He’ll face another tough test in The Great White North when he meets Murzakanov, an undefeated Russian standout with a 14-0 record, including four wins and three finishes under the UFC banner.
