Overview
- Multiple outlets reported Friday that Walker is targeted to debut at heavyweight against No. 10 Ante Delija at UFC Belgrade on Aug. 1, with verbal agreements in place and contracts pending.
- The UFC has not formally announced the bout, and Sherdog reports Delija signaled the matchup on his Instagram Stories.
- Walker cites increasingly tough weight cuts at 205 pounds for the switch, and the 6-foot-6 Brazilian logged 16 UFC fights at light heavyweight.
- The move follows an April loss to Dominick Reyes at UFC 327 after an August knockout of Mingyang Zhang, with outlets split on whether the Reyes call was split or unanimous.
- Delija, a former PFL season champion ranked No. 10, stopped Marcin Tybura in his UFC debut before losses to Waldo Cortes-Acosta and Serghei Spivac, and the event is set as the UFC’s first card in Serbia.