Why does Johnny Walker train in Ireland? A look into the Brazilian's move to the European nation

Johnny Walker is gearing up for a light-heavyweight clash against Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 294, set to take place on Saturday, October 21, at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.

Although born and raised in Brazil, Walker now calls Dublin, Ireland, his fighting home and trains at Straight Blast Gym (SBG). SBG, led by head coach John Kavanagh, is also the training base for former UFC two-division champion Conor McGregor.

During an interview with LowKickMMA in 2020, Johnny Walker revealed his decision to train at the Dublin-based gym. After his last fight, Walker spent several months in Brazil during the lockdown with his family, experiencing a challenging time with COVID-19 precautions. Following this period, he endured five months without seeing his girlfriend due to her work in Qatar. When she came to Ireland for a holiday, the UFC offered him a fight against Ryan Spann. The 31-year-old Brazilian couldn't accept the earlier offer in Brazil due to gym closures and training limitations.

Although Johnny Walker had previously expressed his enthusiasm about his relationship with renowned MMA coach Firas Zahabi, who operates Tristar gym in Montreal, he couldn't return there for training. He reached out to John Kavanagh and asked for his assistance with the training camp. Having trained with Kavanagh before and recognizing his coaching prowess, Walker decided to work with him in Ireland.

Check out Walker's full interview below:

---

Johnny Walker discusses his strategy against Magomed Ankalaev

Johnny Walker plans to catch Magomed Ankalaev off guard with his takedown defense and make him regret his strategy. The Brazilian anticipates that Ankalaev may turn to his grappling skills in the early stages of the fight but firmly believes he can thwart those takedown attempts.

During a recent interview with MMA Junkie, Walker stated:

"He’s probably going to start standing – trust in his boxing. But the first opportunity he has, he’s going to shoot for takedowns. I’m going to counter him, defend takedowns and stuff, but he’s going to see I have very good defense, I’m very long, I’m not going to give him opportunity because he’s a good counter. If I go too much forward, he’s going to counter."

He added:

"I’m going to go easy on him, get the right timing, the right steps. He’s going to see that I’m too long, he can’t fight me in the striking and he’s going to shoot. Then he’s going to say, 'He’s too good in wrestling, as well,' so what is he going to do? I’m going to make him quit."

Check out Walker's comments below (from 3:56):