Johnny Walker's Fighting Style: Kickboxing, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and other martial arts used by the Brazilian UFC star

Johnny Walker is set to face Volkan Oezdemir in a light heavyweight bout at UFC Saudi Arabia. Walker is coming off a losing streak to Magomed Ankalaev and needs a win to maintain his No. 7 spot in UFC's light heavyweight rankings, while Oezdemir is currently ranked No. 9.

Walker is known as one of the goofiest fighters in the UFC. His fighting style leans heavily towards striking. However, he still uses some nasty combos to make his fights more interesting. So, ahead of his bout against Oezdemir, let's take a look at Walker's fighting style.

Evaluating Johnny Walker's hitting ability

Johnny Walker is known as a better striker than any other in martial arts. The Brazilian sensation has a record of 21 wins and 8 losses. The Brazilian sensation has won most of his fights by knockout. In terms of percentage, about 76% of his wins have been by knockout.

Walker has been a dominant striker for most of his career, but if you take a look at his fighting style, you'll notice that he eschews mid-range boxing. You might wonder why? Walker prefers to attack his opponents from a kickboxing distance, taking advantage of his long reach to land long-range strikes on his opponents.

Most of his arsenal consists of powerful spin kicks, low side kicks and unpredictable jumping kicks that he uses to inflict damage from a distance. Johnny Walker wants only one thing from his opponents – to close the distance, which works to the Brazilian's advantage. He counters with switch stance check hooks, jumping knees and spinning back fists, making him a formidable opponent capable of suddenly ending a fight if his opponents stay at range for too long.

Now that we know about Walker's striking ability, let's dig deeper and look at his grappling.

Is Walker a grappler? What BJJ belts does he hold?

Johnny Walker is not known as a wrestler. Takedown defense has never been much help for the Brazilian. Walker tends to rely more on striking than wrestling. However, Walker certainly has incredible mat skills, as Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is one of his primary fighting styles. His massive size helps him subdue downed opponents.

To date, Walker has won 14% of his fights by submission, which is not a lot in the UFC but is among the best in the light heavyweight division. Johnny Walker is a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. In his last fight against Ion Cuterava, he showed off some great Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu by winning via rear naked choke.

Grappling is not Johnny Walker's strong suit, but he knows how to use it to his advantage. His next fight will be interesting as his next opponent is a fighter who combines striking with grappling. In any case, what do you think of Walker's fighting style? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.