UFC Fight Night 140: Magny vs. Ponzinibbio - Predictions and Picks

#3 Khalil Rountree vs. Johnny Walker

Expect fireworks when Khalil Rountree trades bombs with fellow brawler Johnny Walker

Once considered one of the best prospects in the world at 205lbs, his brief UFC run has shown that Khalil Rountree has a somewhat low ceiling – he hits incredibly hard and has the kickboxing game to take out anyone, but his ground game is incredibly porous, as his losses to Andrew Sanchez and Tyson Pedro proved.

Thankfully for ‘The War Horse’, he’s faced with an opponent who’s much more likely to stand and trade off with him than he is to shoot an early double leg. Brazilian newcomer Johnny Walker – a winner on the Brazilian version of Dana White’s Contender Series – comes in with a 14-3 record and a highly intimidating look. Of his 14 wins, 11 of them have come by KO or TKO.

On the flip side of this, however, Walker has also been stopped by strikes twice before. His fight on the Contender Series showed why – he’s a man completely unafraid to trade huge strikes, and as his record shows, more often than not he comes out on top.

Quite how a Brazilian fighter ends up with a name like Johnny Walker is a question for another day, but I don’t think his cool name will be enough to save him on Saturday. Rountree looks like the faster, harder-hitting fighter and there’s little doubt that Walker will give him the opportunity to land the kind of shot that he used to KO world-class kickboxer Gokhan Saki in July.

Expect fireworks – this is my pick for Fight of the Night – but I also don’t expect it to go very long and I think Walker leaves the cage unconscious, even if he likely develops into a fan favourite later down the line.

The Pick: Rountree via first round KO