Thiago Santos and Johnny Walker meet in the main event of the UFC Fight Night 193. This event takes place at the UFC Apex in Enterprise, Nevada, this Saturday night. It is the match between two top 10 light heavyweights that could easily provide them a chance to reach a title-eliminator or at least another main event.
Santos had a great run before losing three in a row, and experiencing a lot of problems with injuries. On the other side, Walker was the star on the rise, but his cocky behavior cost him dearly, slowing his climb up in the division standings.
BetXchange is here to deliver a preview of this highly interesting matchup between two Brazilian maestros.
Preview
Thiago Santos was the guy who pushed Jon Jones to the brink and maybe even defeated the champion at the time. He lost at the UFC 239 via split decision, but to be honest, this was one time when Bones looked as if he didn’t have the solution for his rival.
Marreta had to undergo surgeries on both of his knees after that and was recovering from various injuries for more than a year. It was a traumatic experience for him, but eventually, the Brazilian managed to get back in the ring.
The first bout following the failure against Jones was against Glover Teixeira, who defeated Santos in the third round via submission. That one was in November, and four months later, Santos was once again back in the octagon, only against Aleksandar Rakic, who defeated him after a unanimous decision.
Santos is a powerful hitter, maybe one of the hardest in the division, and his technique is at the highest possible level. For those who forgot, just remember how he sliced the current light heavyweight champion, Jan Blachowicz, with one nasty counter. Kevin Holland, Anthony Smith, Eryk Anders, Jimi Manuwa, all these guys lost to Santos.
Johnny Walker entered the UFC after Dana White’s Contender Series, and he immediately caught the eye of fans. Attractive, skillful, and with a massive dose of confidence, we just might say a perfect guy for attracting publicity.
Yet, after three wins in the organization, his rise stopped in a very harsh way. Corey Anderson knocked out him in the first round back in May 2019, severely damaging his reputation. Yet that wasn’t the end of his suffering because Nikita Krylov routed the Brazilian in March last year, winning after a unanimous decision.
He bounced back with a quick victory over Ryan Spann in September 2020, knocking out the rival in the first round and indicating that he forgot about all the disappointments.
Walker is a strong puncher, just as Santos, only he might not have the power as Marreta, but his output is slightly higher and more diverse and appealing.
Prediction
The fact that we have these two guys in the octagon suggests that one of them won’t see the end of the fifth round. Two excellent strikers who are always trying to find a way to KO the opponent won’t back out from their usual game plan, and in our opinion, that guarantees that the fight won’t go to the distance.
Regarding the winner here, our money is on Santos, because his chin is much stronger than Walker’s. He will need only one clean shot to take down his countryman.
Pick: Santos at 0.63 at BetXchange
