Johnny Walker got into a bit of a wild, energy-sapping scrap with Waldo Cortes-Acosta tonight at UFC Fight Night 293 and emerged with his hand raised courtesy of a third round TKO finish.
Round One
The heavyweight main event is underway in Las Vegas!
Three heavy leg kicks from Walker to start the fight. Walker circles then lands a body kick and another leg kick too.
Hard calf kick from Walker. Cortes-Acosta reaching for punches but not connecting.
Another calf kick from Walker. Cortes-Acosta has had enough of that and wades forward while firing off left and right hands and puts Walker down, but he pops right back up.
Cortes-Acosta in the clinch against the cage now. He lands a right hook. Now a knee to the body. Walker gets off the cage and lands a knee of his own.
Back to striking range. Inside leg kick from Walker. Big right hand from Cortes-Acosta.
Inside leg kick for Walker and then tries for a head kick that just misses.
Cortes-Acosta surges forward with straight punches, but doesn’t quite find the mark.
Winging left and right hands land for Cortes-Acosta as he barrels forward. He clinches up against the cage. Cortes-Acosta landing a few strikes from here. Walker gets out and starts to unleash some hard strikes of his own including a couple of backhands.
Round Two
Hard calf kick for Walker. Right hand from Cortes-Acosta and Walker partially landed a punch too.
Jab for Cortes-Acosta. Another calf kick for Walker. Cortes-Acosta checks another one. Cortes-Acosta swinging for the fences but doesn’t quite connect.
Short uppercut for Cortes-Acosta in close. Body kick for Walker. Now one to the calf. Cortes-Acosta going for punches, but Walker counters with a spinning elbow.
Body kick from Walker. Another calf kick, but checked this time. Jab from Cortes-Acosta. Walker goes for another calf kick, but Cortes-Acosta counters with a right hand.
More pressure from Cortes-Acosta and Walker goes to his back under-fire. Cortes-Acosta in half-guard as we approach the final minute of the round. Cortes-Acosta taking his time and truth be told both men could do with a breather here.
Round Three
Clubbing right hand from Cortes-Acosta. Body kick for Walker. Cortes-Acosta looking for a takedown against the cage. Jumping knee from Walker, but doesn’t connect.
Walker away from the clinch. He throws a few kicks. Cortes-Acosta clinches up against the cage.
Spinning elbow from Cortes-Acosta. The action slows and the ref separates them.
Body kick for Walker. Now a question-mark kick partially gets through! Cortes-Acosta tries to return fire, but is caught by a backhand that hurts him. He backs up looking a bit dazed, but Walker rushes forward and connects with another punch that drops him to claim a TKO finish at 2.27mins of the 3rd round.
