October 2nd: (MMA) Thiago Santos vs. Johnny Walker
This will be a good fight between a veteran in Santos and a late bloomer rising contender in Walker. Both have power with high knockout rates, and both are more or less attempting comebacks: Santos attempting one last run at gold, and Walker attempting to continue his comeback momentum after going 1-2 in his last 3 fights. Thiago Santos (21-9): While he is at a disadvantage in height and reach, Santos brings far more experience against high-level competition than Walker, with a competitive fight against Jon Jones, and fights against other top contenders in Glover Teixeira and Jan Blachowicz (Current Light Heavyweight champion). This could mean he’s bringing a much deeper toolbox than Walker is, and that makes this an interesting contest. Look for Thiago to hunt for big shots and try and leverage his veteran status over the greener fighter. Johnny Walker (18-5): After a meteoric start in the UFC, Walker hit a roadblock with back-to-back losses to Corey Anderson (KO) and Nikita Krylov (UD). He has recently changed camps and won his comeback fight against Ryan Spann, and now seeks to take a step up once again facing Thiago Santos, a respected and storied veteran with heavy hands and a wily technique. He’s the longer fighter by far, with a 4-inch height advantage and a 6-inch reach advantage. As a dedicated striker, he will likely leverage this as much as possible, staying behind a long jab and check kicks to keep Santos at bay until he can find an opening to finish. Prediction: Can’t call it. I really do think this is going to come down to one or two punches putting the other man down. Both men have been knocked out before, and Santos is vulnerable to submissions, something Walker has been vocal about working on since his own weakness in takedown defense was exposed. I can see it going quite a few ways in either direction, and for that reason, I am calling this one too close to make a decision on (though mob wisdom has Santos as a favorite, I just don’t agree with either man being a favorite by more than a point or two). HOW TO WATCH: Live on ESPN+ on October 2nd at 6:00 p.m. ET.