The UFC’s mild heavyweight division is getting some new blood on Saturday evening.
After placing collectively a 6-0 run on the regional scene, together with 5 first-round finishes and a 100% end fee, New Haven, Connecticut native Julius Walker is about to make his UFC debut when the promotion heads again to Seattle for a loaded Struggle Night time card inside Local weather Pledge Area.
Talking with Calf Kick Sports activities forward of his promotional premiere in ‘Emerald Metropolis,’ Walker revealed that he was really getting ready for a heavyweight combat earlier than getting the decision to drop all the way down to 205 for a conflict with knockout artist Alonzo Menifield.
“Jason messaged me and was like, ‘Hey, are you able to make 205 subsequent weekend?’ Understanding that I already had a combat scheduled and him saying that, I used to be like, ‘Oh, that’s the UFC.’ So I instantly responded and mentioned, ‘Yep, I positive can. I’ll discover a manner. I don’t care.’
“You already know, I used to be presupposed to be combating at heavyweight, so I had really been form of attempting to take care of just a little bit—I used to be attempting to remain round 235 for my heavyweight combat,” Walker revealed
Walker Shocked to seek out out he’s on the UFC Seattle Foremost Card
Including to the joy of his massive UFC debut was the information that he would kick off the night’s primary card.
“Holy crap I’m on the primary card,” Walker wrote on X after studying of the information. “Didn’t count on that.”
The UFC’s return to Seattle can be headlined by a high-stakes bantamweight conflict between top-10-ranked contenders Henry Cejudo and Tune Yadong.
Triple C’ can be on the lookout for his first win contained in the Octagon since Might 2020. Cejudo walked away from the game for 3 years earlier than returning at UFC 288 and developing quick in opposition to then-bantamweight titleholder Aljamain Sterling. He adopted that up with one other choice loss, this time in opposition to eventual 135-pound champ Merab Dvalishvili.
For Tune Yadong, a win over Cejudo would undoubtedly be the largest victory of his MMA profession to this point and get him again into the win column after falling to Petr Yan at UFC 299.
Within the co-main occasion is a large middleweight matchup as Brendan ‘All In’ Allen squares off with fan favourite Aaron ‘Fluffy’ Hernandez.
