Will we witness an improved version of Johnny Walker against Ryan Spann at UFC 253? (Opinion)

Johnny Walker took the MMA world by storm after he picked up successive knockout victories at the light-heavyweight division. After an impressive performance at Dana White's Contender Series, Walker picked up three back-to-back first-round TKO victories. In the process, he sent a notice to the entire division. Walker was also seen as a potential opponent for Jon Jones for the UFC light-heavyweight championship.

However, it all fell flat after Corey Anderson knocked out Johnny Walker in the first round of the main event of the preliminary card at UFC 244. After three back to back "Performance of the Night" bonuses, Walker failed to rise to the expectations of fight fans. Walker would go on to lose his next fight against Nikita Krylov, via unanimous decision. Soon after the loss against Corey Anderson, Walker shifted to Tri-Star Gym to train under Firas Zahabi and Georges St-Pierre.

Can Johnny Walker make a comeback?

UFC 244 Walker v Anderson

Johnny Walker is currently ranked #12 in the UFC light-heavyweight rankings and is expected to take on #13 ranked Ryan Spann at UFC 253.

While the hype surrounding Johnny Walker still exists at some level, he desperately needs a win to get back on track. With a lot of mayhem in the division after Jon Jones vacated the UFC light-heavyweight title unofficially, it remains to be seen what lies ahead for the division.

Nikita Krylov, with an impressive victory over Walker, sits at #10. Misha Cirkunov is currently ranked #11 in the rankings. However, Walker has a win over Cirkunov going back to March of 2019 where he picked up an impressive TKO win under 40 seconds of the first round.

It's going to be a tough task for Johnny Walker, who will be making his comeback after back to back defeats. With Firas Zahabi by his side, there's a reason to believe that we would see a better version of Johnny Walker.

Firas Zahabi has groomed former Champions. Walker is an impressive striker, who would benefit a lot under someone like Zahabi. Walker gassed out after two rounds against Krylov and failed to successfully defend the take-downs.

UFC 244: Johnny Walker

Ryan Spann is undefeated in his UFC career, with 5 straight victories to his name. Spann put up an incredible performance at Dana White's Contender Series and made his UFC debut back in June of 2018. He has a notable KO victory over Antonio Rogerio Nogueira and his last win came against Sam Alvey, via split decision at UFC 249. He is a former LFA Light Heavyweight Champion.

Spann is a devastating striker with a solid ground game. He has multiple wins via submission and has the ability to finish his opponents. It is a fight stylistically suited for both the fighters. However, Spann could look to exploit Walker's relatively weaker ground game.

Regardless, with fighters like Georges St-Pierre and a credible coach like Firas Zahabi, there's a reason to believe that we will witness a much sharper version of Johnny Walker against Ryan Spann at UFC 253.