UFC is all set to bring the two Brazilian stars, Johnny Walker and Thiago Santos, to the Octagon on 25th September 2021.
The news was tweeted by TSN Sports’ Aron Bromsteter and Combate’s Raphael Marinho.
No additional details regarding the event have been posted by the UFC yet.
UFC’s current light heavyweight champion is Jan Blachowicz. The champion is now all set to defend his title at UFC 266 against Glover Teixeira.
Walker vs Santos face-off this September
The match between the two Brazilians is going to be very crucial for their respective career. The matchwinner will just be a win away from a fight for the UFC light heavyweight title.
On the other hand, the loser will lose enough rank to put themselves out of the title picture for quite a while.
Walker made his debut in 2018. UFC considers him to be one of the top prospects of the promotion’s light heavyweight division. He seems to have suffered a lot of ups and downs in his career. However, he didn’t stop himself from evolving right before his debut at UFC.
Walker remained undefeated for quite some time. Many hailed him to be the next light heavyweight champion until his two consecutive defeats; one with Corey Anderson via TKO at UFC244 and the other with Nikita Krylov at UFC night.
Walker returned to winning form in his recent fight with Ryan Spann via KO at UFC Fight Night.
Meanwhile, Santos had taken on MMA legend Jon Jones to the brim, but lost a closely-contested fight. Jones won the match via a split decision at UFC 239.
Thiago had been out of the Octagon for several months after sustaining injuries. The fighter returned to the Octagon for a match against Glover Teixeria in November 2020.
Santos’ recent fight was against rising star Aleksandar Rakic at UFC 259. Santos, however, lost the match via a unanimous decision.
Read more: “I know I can beat anyone, so this fight makes sense”: Aleksander Rakic targets Jiri Prochazka