Shortly after he knocked out Justin Ledet at UFC Fortaleza last weekend, red hot light heavyweight prospect Johnny Walker called for a fight with English knockout artist Jimi Manuwa. In fact, Walker explained that he is specifically looking to fight Manuwa on his home turf, when the UFC returns to London on March 6.
“I want to fight Jimi Manuwa in London. I’m ready. What about you, Manuwa, do you accept the challenge?” Walker said in an interview with Combate (via Bloody Elbow).
Unfortunately for the rising light heavyweight, Jimi Manuwa won’t be accepting this callout. But that’s because he’s injured. If he weren’t injured, he reminds, he would absolutely be fighting on the upcoming UFC London card.
Manuwa deflected the Brazilian’s callout on Twitter.
“Everyone knows I’m injured or I’d be fighting in London in March,” Manuwa explained his Tweet. “I defo don’t need no Johnny Walker to make a fight.”
Prior to his knockout of Ledet, Johnny Walker burst into the UFC limelight with a knockout of the dangerous Khalil Rountree in his promotional debut.
Jimi Manuwa, meanwhile, last fought at UFC 233 in December, when he came up short in a 2018 Fight of the Year contender opposite another Brazilian knockout artist in Thiago Santos. This win was preceded by a decision loss to Jan Blachowicz and a knockout loss to Volkan Oezdemir.
Does a future fight between Jimi Manuwa and Johnny Walker interest you?
This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 2/8/2019.