Walker to face Delija in heavyweight bout at UFC Belgrade
UFC Fight Night 283 scheduled for 1 August at Belgrade Arena as promotion officials confirm matchup between Johnny Walker and Ante Delija
Promotion officials confirmed on Tuesday that Johnny Walker will return to the heavyweight division to face Ante Delija at UFC Fight Night 283. The event is scheduled to take place on 1 August at the Belgrade Arena in Serbia.
Walker, who holds a professional mixed martial arts record of 22-10 with an 8-7 record in the UFC, will compete at heavyweight for the first time since 2018. The bout marks a significant shift for the former 205-pound contender, who is looking to rebuild his standing in the sport.
The matchup follows a split decision loss to Dominick Reyes at UFC 327 in April. Prior to that defeat, Walker secured an upset finish against Zhang Mingyang during the headliner of UFC Fight Night 257 last August.
His opponent, Ante Delija, enters the contest on a two-fight losing streak. The 35-year-old Croatian fighter, who is the 2022 PFL heavyweight champion, holds a professional record of 26-8 with a 1-2 record in the UFC. Delija previously won his UFC debut by knocking out Marcin Tybura before suffering consecutive losses to Waldo Cortes-Acosta and Serghei Spivac.
Tickets for the event go on sale this Friday. The current lineup for UFC Fight Night 283 also features a bout between Jovan Leka and Max Gimenis.
