Perennial UFC light heavyweight contender Johnny Walker suffered the first loss of his Octagon career at tonight’s UFC 244 at the hands of Corey Anderson.

Walker (17-4 MMA) entered tonight’s contest having won all three of his fights under the UFC banner by way of first round knockout. In his most previous effort at UFC 235, the Brazilian needed just 36-seconds to put away Canadian Misha Cirkunov.

Unfortunately for fans of Walker the 27-year-old never seemed to get comfortable tonight against Anderson.

‘Beastin 25/8’ was able to rock Johnny Walker in the early moments of the fight and did not let up with strikes until the referee stepped in to call a stop to the action.

The loss marked Walker’s first setback since June of 2016, where he was defeated by Henrique Silva Lopes via knockout at Jungle Fight 88.

Shortly following tonight’s disappointing result Johnny Walker took to social media where he addressed his fans.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B4YzxWFIBZi/?igshid=1acngu7p4hkrf

“Champion’s head. Never a defeat, always a lesson. Thanks for all support…”

With his sensational victory over Johnny Walker this evening, Corey Anderson is now on a four-fight winning streak.

Prior to stopping the Brazilian at Madison Square Garden, Anderson had scored decision victories over Patrick Cummins, Glover Teixeira and Ilir Latifi respectively.

Who would you like to see Johnny Walker fight in his next Octagon appearance following tonight’s loss to Corey Anderson at UFC 244? Sound off in the comments section PENN Nation!

This article first appeared on BJPENN.com November 2, 2019