Everything you need to know about UFC Fight Night: Santos vs. Walker

ACC UFC contributor Felix Heath-Collins with everything you need to know ahead of UFC Fight Night: Santos vs. Walker

The MMA action continues this weekend with UFC Fight Night: Santos vs. Walker. Brazilian brawlers Thiago "Marreta" Santos and Johnny Walker headline this talent-rich fight card.

In the main event hammer-handed marauder Thiago "Marreta" Santos (21-9) (wins-losses) battles acrobatic entertainer Johnny Walker (18-5) for the 5th-ranked position in the stacked light-heavyweight division that Santos currently holds.

Thiago "Marreta" Santos started his UFC career on "The Ultimate Fighter Brazil Season 2" reality TV show in 2013 down at welterweight. Despite mixed success on the show, it's impressive enough that Santos could even make that low a weight class. Following that show, Santos made his official debut in the promotion at UFC 163: Aldo vs. Korean Zombie later in 2013. Trading losses and wins in his first few fights, Santos seemed destined for the journeyman position indefinitely. A four-fight winning streak followed (with three first-round KO/TKO's) that seemed to hint at a greater future for Santos, but his streak was snapped with two losses - to Gegard Mousasi and Eric Spicely. Nearing a potential roster cut, Santos's inner cornered animal propelled him to another impressive four-fight win streak (against Jack Marshman, Gerald "GM3" Meerschaert, Jack "The Joker" Hermansson, and Anthony "Lionheart" Smith) and this time he managed to stop all four fights via KO/TKO within the first two rounds. David Branch managed to snap that win streak via first-round KO/TKO stoppage. And you guessed it: Santos managed yet another four-fight win streak (this time against Kevin "Trail Blazer" Holland, Eryk "Ya Boi" Anders, Jimi Manuwa, and current light-heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz, while Santos moved up to light-heavyweight following the Holland fight) Since a split decision loss in his first title fight against former light-heavyweight champion Jon "Bones" Jones, Santos hasn't properly recovered his form, dropping another two fights (one to Glover Teixeira and another to Aleksandar Rakic).

The 29-year-old Johnny Walker is very much from the next generation of light-heavyweights compared to the 37-year-old MMA veteran Thiago Santos. Walker only debuted a few years ago in late 2018, following a "Dana White's Contender Series 2018" win. In his proper UFC debut, Walker wasted little time with an elbow KO/TKO of Khalil Rountree in 1 minute and fifty-seven seconds. Another two swift and spectacular stoppages followed in 2019 with first-round finishes of Justin Ledet (hook kick and spinning back fist) and Misha Cirkunov (flying knee and punches). Johnny Walker then received a dose of his own medicine with a first-round KO/TKO loss from Corey "Overtime" Anderson. 2020 saw Walker lose again (via unanimous decision to Nikita Krylov), before coming back in vintage with a 2 minute, 43-second stoppage of Ryan "Superman" Spann via elbows and hammer fists. He truly has an impressive record of quick and brutal finishes.

In this furious five-round main event the violence should come early and often. I wouldn't be surprised if the fight doesn't reach the second round, let alone the full 5 rounds it's booked for. And that's because in one corner we have the 6'6" fresh-faced and perpetually airborne acrobat in against the dude with a massive Thor-esque hammer tattooed across his enormous chest. I'd be banking on the violent consistency of the veteran Santos, who many believe even beat the former champion of the division, Jon Jones. The unlikeliest bet would be for this match-up to be boring. You won't wanna miss this one, no matter how quickly it's over.

Further down this tantalizing main card in the co-main event, the aforementioned smart-mouthed Kevin "Trail Blazer" Holland (21-7) faces Kyle Daukaus (10-2). And, before that co-main is the real unsung hero of this event: Alex "Cowboy" Oliveira (22-10) faces Niko "The Hybrid" Price (14-5). Both of these guys are crazy as hell. Oliveira is the Brazilian "Cowboy" (as opposed to "Cowboy" Cerrone), who survived a grenade explosion back on Christmas Eve 2018, while Niko Price is a master at inflicting damage in ridiculously entertaining fights who has a beautiful up-kick KO victory against James Vick - one of only two up-kick finishes in UFC history. Can the unstoppable force in Niko Price beat the immovable object in "Cowboy" Oliveira? I'm not sure. But, if anybody can survive the explosive strikes of Price, it'd have to be the grenade-proof "Cowboy" Oliveira.

The main card starts for us here in New Zealand this Sunday at midday, while the prelims start a few hours earlier at 9:00 AM. Enjoy!