Johnny Walker talks potential fight with Josh Hokit before heavyweight debut at UFC 332

Johnny Walker has long been viewed as one of the most athletic fighters, particularly when speaking about the UFC's heavier weight classes.

The Brazilian combatant, ahead of his highly anticipated debut in the UFC heavyweight division, has now addressed a potential fight against heavyweight elite Josh Hokit. 

Johnny Walker, akin to younger half-brother Valter Walker, eyes a Josh Hokit fight

Johnny Walker's younger half-brother also happens to be a UFC fighter, a notable one akin to him. The individual in question is none other than Valter Walker, who's currently ranked No. 9 in the UFC heavyweight division, per the official Meta UFC rankings. Valter has been feuding with undefeated American UFC heavyweight Josh Hokit, a polarizing athlete who's become a rather controversial figure in the MMA realm as of late. "The Clean Monster" has been in hot pursuit of a fight against Hokit. 

On that note, Johnny Walker also appears to be interested in fighting Hokit. Speaking to former UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz on the latter's Love & War podcast, Walker addressed his imminent UFC heavyweight debut. 

The 34-year-old alluded that it wouldn't be his MMA heavyweight debut overall, as he's already competed twice in heavyweight mixed martial arts matchups outside the UFC. That said, he's only fought at light heavyweight in the UFC, so his upcoming fight at UFC 332 would be his first in the UFC's proverbial division of giants. 

Expounding upon his heavyweight ambitions, Walker stated, "I want to fight somebody ranked; somebody in the top 15. So anyone from 8 on to 15, it's good for me." 

He also noted, "Anyone from five to 10, for me, is good, you know... And then will make me ready for the top five and above, you know." 

Mentioning the No. 6-ranked Josh Hokit, Walker said, "Josh Hokit would be fun. He never fought somebody with my attributes, like, fit, and strong, and agile." He added, "That's why I need to beat someone in the top 10 first, then see what happens next." 

Watch Johnny Walker discuss his heavyweight ambitions and a possible clash against Josh Hokit below (*comments at the 15:57 and 28:45-minute marks of the video): 

Johnny Walker seeks a return to the win column as heavyweight move against Mick Parkin awaits at UFC 332

Johnny Walker is coming off a split decision defeat against Dominick Reyes in a light heavyweight clash that transpired in April. Walker has been quite vocal about his belief that the extreme weight cuts to compete in the light heavyweight division were depleting him, adversely affecting his strength and overall health.

The towering combatant, during his meeting with Dominick Cruz, reaffirmed the same and implied that he surely wouldn't be undersized at heavyweight in regard to height and reach, albeit he might be a tad lighter at 245 pounds than a few others. 

Walker's first Octagon outing as a heavyweight was supposed to be a matchup against the 2022 PFL heavyweight tournament winner Ante Delija at UFC Belgrade on August 1. However, Delija withdrew owing to an injury, and Walker is now expected to clash against the No. 14-ranked Mick Parkin at UFC 332 in Salt Lake City, Utah, on October 3.