Johnny Walker needs a long-term home to make the most of his potential.
Walker (17-5) kicked the doors down with three consecutive first-round knockouts in his trio of UFC fights. The Walker of September 2020, however, is coming off the first losing streak of his professional career with back-to-back losses against Nikita Krylov and Corey Anderson. The ranked light heavyweight caught up with Fightful ahead of his match-up with Ryan Spann to express he needs to change.
"I made a lot of changes after that fight. I changed my coach and I changed my lifestyle. Now I'm focused 100 percent on my career. I want to move close to a gym to be consistent. I don't [want to] travel around the world because I need to be coached. I need one coach with time. [One] training camp is no good for myself. I'm going to prepare for this fight but I'm not going to improve myself," Walker said. "I want to be part of the team because I can't have a constant evolution. I learned a lot about my body and mental health as well. It doesn't matter if your body is right, your mind needs to be right. If the mind is not right, your body doesn't work properly. You won't be creative. I learned a lot and I hope the next time I learn, I will learn with a win. I don't want to learn from a loss anymore because I've lost. I'm training really hard."
Walker began his professional career in his native Brazil in 2013 before traveling to Scotland. Shortly after, he relocated to England. From there, he competed on UFC cards in Argentina, Brazil and the U.S. He teamed up with Tristar in Canada for his last fight and is preparing with SBG Ireland in Dublin ahead of the Ryan Spann bout.
"I have a sports psychologist. He calls me every week," Walker added. "He's from Brazil. He gives me techniques to breathe, some meditation, some tips and all. I'm really glad I have this guy. He helps to keep my focus on training. It changed my mind a little bit because I have to 100 percent focus on my training. I have to do nothing else because this sport and the UFC, the level that I am at now, one very detail makes a big difference. The mental health is going to be one of these."
Walker fights Spann at UFC Vegas 11 on Saturday, September 19. The card takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada and is headlined by Colby Covington vs. Tyron Woodley. Keep up with Fightful for all your fight night coverage.
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