Israel Adesanya shares some strategic advice for Johnny Walker ahead of his fight with Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 294

Israel Adesanya is sharing some strategic advice for Johnny Walker ahead of his fight with Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 294.

It will be Johnny Walker (21-7 MMA) vs Magomed Ankalaev (17-1 MMA) in a light heavyweight bout tomorrow, Saturday, October 21st at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.

Walker, 31, will be entering the Octagon with a record of 3 wins in his last 3 fights, defeating Ion Cutelaba (17-9 MMA), Paul Craig (17-6 MMA) and most recently Anthony Smith (37-18 MMA).

Ankalaev, also 31, has not lost in the cage since March of 2018 when he was defeated by Paul Craig. The Russian last fought Jan Blachowicz (29-10 MMA) in December of 2022 at UFC 282 which ended in a draw.

Adasenya, on a video uploaded to his ‘Freestylebender’ Youtube channel, spoke about Walker finally beginning to reach his potential and shared some tips on how he could continue that trend when he meets up with Ankalaev this weekend.

‘The Last Stylebender’ spoke about the upcoming fight between Walker and Ankalaev:

“Walker, the worm, versus Ankalaev… He was the guy, when he first came on the scene, people were like, ‘This is the next guy to rival Jon Jones.’ Because he’s so explosive, so crazy. He’s now finally putting things together after teaming up with (SBC Ireland head coach John) Kavanagh.”

Continuing Adesanya shared some advice for Walker saying:

“I’m sure they have a solid gameplan for this… I hope he is patient in this fight. Be patient. Because Ankalaev is very methodical, like, ‘A, B, C, D. But Walker is unpredictable and he’s also got the reach advantage… Stick to the jab. Keep him and stick to the jab. Don’t rush and be patient. When Walker gets excited, even when you hurt him, he’ll start to swing crazy. Just let it come. Find the shots and let it come.”

Concluding, Israel Adesanya gave his prediction as to who will be the victor (h/t MMANews):

“I wanna say Walker stops him. Hot take. It’s a hot take, but yeah, I’m crazy. I’m gonna go Walker stops him… Ankalaev’s very credible and legitimate, but I just feel like with a good coach like Kavanagh in your corner, you’re consistent now. It’s time to show (that) in your body of work. I feel like he can get it done if he just stays patient and finds the shot.”

Do you agree with Adesanya’s advice for Walker and do you believe he will indeed defeat Ankalaev in Abu Dhabi?

Share your thoughts in the comment section PENN Nation!