Johnny Walker Explains Controversial UFC 294 No-Contest: 'I Was Losing My Mind' | The MMA Hour
Johnny Walker reacts to his no-contest against Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 285, the illegal knee he took in the fight, the questions the cageside doctor asked him after the foul, what he thinks the doctor should have done, how he believes Ankalaev made a "dirty move" in the fight, what happened after the fight was called off, his interaction with Ankalaev after the fight was called off, Dana White's promise to make things right, the expenses he incurred to make the fight, UFC 295 co-main event, a message for Ankalaev, and more.
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I'll be rooting for Johnny in the rematch. Dude got done so dirty. He's one tough dude for eating that shot the way he did.
Russians fight dirty bro, they elbow to the back of the head and knee to the head at any opportunity including illegal opportunities.
If that knee connected he would have won, Magomed had a close call with an L
🤦♂️
Yea I hope johnny knocks that dude out cold if they rematch. And dana white should give Johnny a bonus just for not getting the dq because the arabs are corrupt in Abu dabi
@@bigvsouthphilly2156dudes always getting stiffed I remember when they made him leave the arena I wanna say it was in las Vegas a year so back and left him barefoot outside with him and his coach SMH!!!
I was so excited for his fight. I feel so bad for him. That doctor should never do another MMA event. Stay strong Johnny they will rebook it for you.
The arabs in Abu dabi are corrupt they didn't want to DQ a arab fighter. Johnny should of win by DQ
fr i got up early just to catch his fight...man i was pissed at that doctor. We know Johnny's genuine and would never look for a way out like that. He wanted to continue so bad
I mean Johnny was just looking a little out of it anyway, im not sure if we are all convinced that he wanted to fight for real because he wouldve been answering the question instantly or at least trying to, he was just looking like he was trying to look like that shot messed him up and trying to find a way that the doctor will stop it without looking suspicious
@@SuperThesavage the stupid doctor didn't give him enough time. He answer desert which is not wrong, the doctor should have follow up with another question.
Johnny took an out in the fight. It's clear as day
its really impressive how the MMA commission consistently hires terrible people, from judges, to doctors, to having that terrible judging criteria that's so subjective that every close fight half of the community thinks its a robbery because the way the criteria is designed its based on your opinion rather than measurable points that you can factually give and judge the fight mathematically as accurately as possible, their job is so easy and they can't even do that
The UFC serves as their own comission when they are in Abu Dhabi
Yeah the saudi commissions seem a tad not all there sometimes
Definitely a case of hiring people based on who you know vs who's most qualified for the job. That idiot doctor didn't even give Johnny his recovery time. The ref should have said something about that when the Dr said he couldn't fight.
@@Savmavv is uae in saudia arabia? News to me
no one seems there. the level of incompetence... @@Savmavv
Johnny is an international treasure. He's just so likable and goofy, even when he's pissed off
he just oozes positivity, he inspires me to keep a good attitude no matter what
OOGA BOOGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
And his English got so much better. Good for him.
He's a can
You think the ref who got pushed appreciates him.
11:30 “ do you think he’s a dirty fighter?” Ariel next time he sees Ankalaev: “Johnny Walker said you were a very dirty fighter”
I'm quickly becoming a fan of Walker. That playing possum to flying knee was mega entertaining. Good energy guy too
If Johnny would’ve landed that, Anks bed 👉⚰️
He deserved to act up to get the foul called, it should have been a point deduction and reset/loss of position
@@PunkNDisorderlyGamer100% dude the speed was insane it would have at least dropped him if not KOed him cold
@@PunkNDisorderlyGamernah he would’ve get counted
should have just went for a uppercut or overhand. I think it would have landed
Ok even IF the doctor thinks Johnny have him the wrong answer why not give him the full 5 minutes to rest? At the end of the 5 minutes ask him again and if you still think he’s not in any shape to fight then call it off. But why call it off immediately??
If the Doctor concludes that he is concussed then 5 minutes would make no difference. He can’t be allowed to continue fighting.
@@mitchsvideos True but you also have to rule out giving a wrong answer due to being amped up and just wanting to get on with it. More time at the start would have taken him out of the moment a little more and calmed him down
You are more qualified than the Doctor 😂
@@lokevoiceobviously he can speak english, why didn’t he simply said he’s in a octagon?
@@Ramirez83786 Read my first comment again, combine that with the fact that English is a second language and you have your answer
Walker makes a good point about weird things always happen with him, like the Anthony Smith “you’re trying to hurt my family” sitauation and this one
Shady stuff going on in Abu Dhabi. All these wack decisions favored the fighters from closer to that region. Johnny wins by DQ and needs to be in contender fight or fight for the title next if Jamahal can't be back soon.
Then why Eddie vs Dustin was a no contest? There is a rule that a fighter has to be warned by the ref during the fight that the opponents legs/knees are still on the ground. If not, it's a no contest
Winning by a DQ is not a legitimate win. Its cheating. He would have lost. Deal with it.
Yeah man really shady how volk caught a shin to the noggin had him looking for the Holy Ghost. Glad I’m not the only one who caught it.
Bruh, most of thats fighter win by finished..
Nah all fights in other countries are setup for the hometown hero’s to win and the odds for the fights confirm that
Uncle Chael has it spot on. The ref bottled it due to the fight location/jonnies opponent and used the doctor as a scape goat. Plain and simple.
Lol what? He was gonna lose the fight so what would they want to make ankaliev win in his country?? Not everything is a conspiracy theory 🤓
It was a fix job@@440-fishermandrock8
@@440-fishermandrock8Ankaliev was getting pieced up...
Then why Eddie vs Dustin was a no contest? The rule is that the fighter has to be warned by the ref during the fight (this is what I have read in comments but I don't know if it's true)
@@milkweedreflectionslol what? He hurt Walker to the body and that's how they got to that position. Walker was definitely getting stopped later on.
I wasn't a Johnny Walker fan before. I am now. Best of luck to this dude moving forward!
Nice bro ! Happy for you becoming a fan !
Exactly, this incident raised his profile. He must just keep training and make sure his head is fine and get ready for the rematch
tbh this fight i was most hyped. very sad about this ending. because usman and volk wasnt realistic to win. full camp okay but thats the reason i was most hyped about walker vs ankalaev. walker won me as a supporter in his last fights. he developed a lot.
Fire that doctor
They should always have a doctor who can speak multiple languages, they should overturn the result even now to a DQ, and the referee should stand and listen through what the doctor is talking to the fighter about so he knows if somethings missed due to language barrier and can step in and explain to either doctor or fighter.
The Doctor from that fight was American. Johnny Walker admitted himself that he speaks perfectly good English.
Overturn the result days later? How many times has that ever happened? Cant even think of 1 time. And for a DQ win? Who even cares, what fighter wants that on their resume anyways
@@american5668 Petr Yan cares
@Spencer_B that wasn't days later and once again all you guys complained for months about the refs decision and now suddenly you guys all want more dq wins? Keep the same energy, stop being fickle and changing your mind whenever it happens to a fighter you like
@@american5668 I’m not changing my mind on anything. I want consistency, that’s all.
Considering that Petr lost his belt, I was surprised when they announced it was a no contest.
I think the rule is if it's not past 2nd round, it will be a NC.. but if it's past 2nd round, it will be called DQ. maybe
I hope the UFC does Johnny a solid here and get him a big fight next. How they ruled it a no contest is mind boggling, he should have won by DQ. If he was allowed to continue, they should at the very least have taken a point from Ankalaev. What a shitshow.
Petr yan lost his belt over this. Should be a dq on ankalaev
Eddie didn't get a dq vs Dustin. There is a rule behind that.
@@JopJiono there isn’t lmao, who tf told u the ref is supposed to tell u when can u strike? that’d literally be coaching from him lol, u think the ref is gonna be screaming at the fighters like "KNEE HIM RN!"
@@illustriousgeorge6003 I have heard that for a dq, the ref has to warn the fighter that his opponents legs/knees are still in on the ground
@@JopJio yh that’s not true, all that depends is if the knee was intentional or not. the ref can warn them but it’s not his job to prevent them from doing something they know is illegal to throw
@@illustriousgeorge6003 I have to look it up. There must be a rule.
They need to included this in the rules 5 min like eye poke and below belt
I'm pretty sure it already is. I think the 5 minutes is for any foul that deals damage
Walker is very smart and funny as well the doctor sounds like he panicked. Doctor also has no sense of communication if he didn't know what he meant by "I'm in the desert bro". Walker will get back and now he's even more motivated.
I love how Johnny says that he speaks good English (he does), and implies that the doctor doesn't. Disgraceful from the doc. Ireland loves Johnny Walker - an adopted son!
He's got the 🇮🇪 fighting spirit 100% 😁. JW is the man, always exciting and always entertaining! I just feel bad for him bc he got screwed big time
Walker got did dirty. Needs to be promoted and Ankalaev needs to be accountable for his foul play.
they didn't DQ him because it was in the middle east and it was their boy. it should of been a win for jonny
Awesome interview. Best wishes to Johnny Walker!
If that Flying knee had landed it would be one of the beautiful trick ever made.
Highlight reel for real.
Should've could've would've
Dirty move and disgraceful by UFC to not give Jonny his well earned victory.
Not commenting on the fight as a whole, but man, I was no Johnny Walker fan initially, but the last few fights of his he is really winning me over. The interview helps, seems like decent dude. Plus, seeing him want to continue to fight in spite of the doctor really showed his tenacity, and despite being a weird situation major respect.
Those situations with the ringside doctor were strange as hell. He wasn't ready for the assignment.
He really was not. I have a feeling he has never done a MMA fight. Abu Dhabi is great but they probably just picked a random doctor to do this. They do not even have a translator for Johnny Walker.
The Doctor’s primary interest is in the fighter’s safety, not in ensuring the fight goes ahead. He’s not there to gamble with people’s lives. He was asked to conduct a concussion test by the Ref and that’s exactly what he did.
@@mitchsvideos Nah not in English and with a dumb question
Imagine if that doctor was examining someone like Stipe or Nate. The moment they open their mouth doc would think they're out of it and concussed.
@@elpibe1924 have you watched this video? Johnny Walker says he speaks perfectly good English, but was under the impression the Doctor’s first language wasn’t English. Firstly, the Doctor was American and has been working in top level sport since the 90s. Secondly, he asked him which country he was in (how often do you not know which country you are in) and then asked which round it was. Neither was apparently answered properly. Either Walker was angling for a DQ or he was concussed.
I saw a meme yesterday that doctor said to Johny: " spell abu dhabi backwards in pig latin " still cracks me up lol😂
Ankalev is a great fighter, however he should have been disqualified for throwing an illegal knee like that. That could have put Johnny out . A no contest is not what was needed a disqualification is what was neeeded.
Dana: We're gonna make this right. Translation: We're gonna apologize, send him an edible arrangement, and tell him we appreciate him making us a ton of money.
The ppv and ticket prices are fn ridiculous
He literally ATE the shot, then got called delusional because he said he was in the desert 🤦🏾♂️ that doctor and ref were the ABSOLUTE worse.
This man recording the interview from the Burger King bathroom???
I had a good feeling about Walker in this fight bet on him to get a knock out cause of how wild he is. Dude almost got it to, before the knee. You got this rematch Walker!
I'm dying to see Walker fight again. Hopefully they can run it back or find him another opponent on next card or in near future. I want to see his progress and am very excited for his future. Walker a beast!
UFC needs to handle fouls better. They allow countless eye pokes, fence grabs, glove grabs and almost never take a point, which basically makes it into a tactic that fighters leverage to get an advantage in the fight without any consequences. I personally think that every fighter who eye pokes their opponent with an extended hand should get a point taken away, no argument. If you want to frame with the lead hand then fine but there's a big defence between an accident and reckless negligence. If they can train to throw punches with proper technique, they can train to keep their fingers away from people's eyes
Jones would long be DQ and not muh champion if anyone actually paid attention to his eye pokes.
am i the only one laughing at how johnny walker explained his pov
What gets on my nerves is they almost never take points at all. It’s crazy. Woods opponent committed like 4 fouls one of them in a sequence where he could have possibly been finished had he not cheated. It’s really wild
I wasn’t the biggest fan of Walker but he’s grown on me a lot and he’s improved a lot his ground game has improved a hell of a lot and just overall he’s a far better fighter and I hope he continues to work hard and get better! That said he wins this fight from DQ just like ALJO did surely the UFC can’t continue with this BS he wins the fight by DQ & they either rematch or they move on with all due respect to both fighters!
The UFC is a billion dollar sport, how does the athletic commission not have multilingual doctors capable of speaking in the fighters native language. Seems insane in 2023 with the technology we have that we cant make that happen.
ariel excellent questions as usual, u da best in the game brother
Johnny Walker is the boy! Love his style and he always puts on a show. Johnny Walker champ 2024!
I hope there's actual audio of this somewhere. On first watch of the fight i thought walker quit and was acting disappointed bcus he didn't want ppl to know he quit
Even Dana said there was a language barrier Johnny probably didn't really understand what the ref was asking but he did answer the question right if you think about it 😂😂😂
Yeah and the venue also loud with fans cheering too.
Dana said Johnny answered “the desert” and he’s not wrong.
@Algojo the doctor should have given Johnny more time to get his wits about him either way and than when the fight was stopped it should have been a dq win for Johnny so alot went wrong in that fight
I felt really bad this man when that happened! It should’ve been a DQ but I think Dana was worried about the backlash because of where they were fighting
Yes, he pussed out on making the right decision
I think the reason they didn’t make it a DQ because they wanted to keep the record and storyline good for ankalaev
@@tarunpawar3574 I think Johnny walker is a bigger star/draw
"I never have enemy in the game but...es a real dirt move bro"😞
I think Johnny's leg kick does hit hard on Ankalaev, thats why he start to look for a take down imo.
So unfair to Johnny and unfair to us his Fans . I was looking forward to this fight. Johnny….you are not alone in your frustration. My respects to you for not ripping the doctors head off . Wishing you only good fights in the future. I’m your faithful Fan.
Johnny Walker - “I speak good English you know” Referee hears this 3:50
It should have been a DQ. Intentional strike. Poor fella.
Ariel really just be asking the right questions🙌
The doctor went by the book but there are simple things such as asking again and being mindful of the noise, language barriers, adrenaline and atmosphere that can get in the way of simple communication.
Or simply pausing a couple of minutes for the fighter to recover from an illegal strike. Guy acted like he was late for an appointment.
Totally.. Whether reasonable or not we all watched Johnny not answer the docs questions so to suggest corruption like a lot of folks are is fkn absurd. I do agree with the no contest though even though I've been a big fan of Johnny since I first seen him when he fought khalil. A foul that's too heavy for just a warning to satisfy costs the fighter a point. The severity increase from 1pt to disqualification would be unreasonable if the fight can carry on which Johnny has maintained to be the case. Sadly the only person that mattered was the only person that misunderstood.
Shady stuff in Abu Dubai, I’m never going to buy a Middle East ppv again On another note let’s go Johnny walker
Love this dude so authentic and goofy
I waited for this fight for soooooo long 🥺
Simple solution. Rebook the fight for the next UFC card
Great message,Ankalaev will take that message to heart
The desert is not safe for Anthony Smith's family. Not anymore
very true
Johnny is tough as nails he ate that knee like it was nothing
Jamahal Hill gone ko this dude again no problem
Abu Dhabi cards are kind of a disaster. So many questionable things happen there with scale operators, judges, doctors. UFC should have tried to push the whole event for Charles two weeks. Ten days was too short for Volk.
Johnny...you got this..man stay humble you deserve betterit will come
Bro sounds so disappointed. I’m no martial artist but I train in BJJ and I respect the preparation these PROFESSIONALS make. Shame on that doctor
Exact same thing happened to Sterling and Yan and Sterling won the belt from that... These judges and rules need to be more consistent.
I was rooting for johnny and wanted him to excel …. Let’s go johnny. ☘️🇮🇪🇧🇷
Johnny should have been giving that W or they should have allowed him his time and let em bang it out. I never thought Johnny was out because when he looked at the ref like WTF bro are we allowing this told me he was still clear mind. F man sorry they done you dirty That Doc needs to go do a few in Belitor or whatever it is
WHEN DANA CAME INTO THE OCTAGON, I WAS THINKING HE WAS GOING TO SPEAK TO BOTH CORNERS AND IF THEY ACCESS THEIR FIGHTER AND HE WAS READY TO GO, THE SHOULD HAVE CONTINUED, BUT WELL THE TICKETS 🎫 HAVE BEEN SOLD OUT AND STOPPING THE FIGHT MEANS ANOTHER PAYCHECK IN WAITING, PROBABLY A FIGHT NIGHT IN VEGAS T-MOBILE ARENA
nah dana is not running low on good fights lol
It's out of Dana's hands it up to the exporting commision
"Where are you Jhonny....!?" **IN THE DESERT** 🤣
Another big thing that should have been discussed here is how Johnny feels and receiving an illegal strike and then they rule it a no contest instead of a DQ. It should have been a DQ and Johnny wins by default. This is how it always goes when you aren't in a country being biased to Muslim fighters. Aljamain Sterling even initially won the title this was. Ridiculous that they deemed it a no contest all so theirs guy wouldn't have a loss.
Ref should of been there with the Doc "if you can't continue, the fights a no contest" - fighter usually jumps back in instantly or goes full Aljo. Doc made up his mind for him basically. & bring in a translator if necessary? Idk why it was different this time lol 😅
Johhny keep your head up your already a champ! Just train harder and you will get your title champ!!
Only unintentional thing in MMA is a clash of heads. Every thing else is a faul. If the same thing would happen multiple times in a fight like 10 times kicked in the balls or poked in the eye or kneed down oponent you would get DQed so why doing it once makes it unintentional. Now you can make it a game plan that its ok to kick your opponent to the balls or poke in the eye once, since its gona be called unintentional anyway.
You my friend are the best person that can explain this bs!!!
It was ridiculous. It looked like Johnny could have man handled the dahgi cheat. He didn't like them kicks Walker hit him with, and then couldn't control him in that on the cage brief grappling exchange... but to not get the W after tge bogus Dr stoppage is ludicrous. Far too many rule mishaps this year. Tighten up Dana.
7:30 says it all. He knew it was an intentional knee and wanted the ref to disqualify or take points from Ankalaev. He act and got punished for that. Stupid move by Ankalaev. Stupid move by Johnny. Stupid move by ref and doctor.
agree completely johnny knew what he was doing...
Agree
Been a fan since seeing his first fight in ufc. Very exciting fighter, charismatic and great personality. Sucks to see what happened.
His english has improved so much, it's crazy and hope he wins his next fight
I'm loving the Dublin twang in certain words from Johnny 😅
It’s was heat of the moment. There were many illegal moves that night but situation made it big deal!
I imagine that if the refee said "In what country are you?" and the responded "Abu Dabhi" the doctor would stop because "Abu Dabhi" isn't a country but one of the "United Emirades"
Hope they run it back soon😢
Just know they ain’t taking no points in Abu Dhabi 😂
The guy who pulled Jiri's shoulder out is also one of Magomed's guys!
This will make Johnny bigger in this game and his next fight he will continue to grow to me this is a case of bad publicity is still good publicity because Johnny explanation and personality makes him very likeable
keep this guy active he's too much fun.
that was the smarts thing i heard johnny ever stay everything we throw is intentional
Why was this a no contest, while Aljo won the fight with Yan when he got hit with an illegal knee?
Completely comprehendable!
Fighters are Allowed 5 Mins to Recover, Let a Doctor in to see the Fighters Injury and if its Not A Bad Cut or a Definate Concussion, Give the fighter the Full 5 Mins and then ask "are you OK to fight?" End Of Story.......Fight On Only then should a Doctor be asking Fight Changing decisions
Walker got done dirty, that red should lose his job and the doc should too, the whole situation was a complete mess, we can’t let this happen to guys that put their whole lives into to this and one bum ref can change someone’s whole career life family, it’s crazy
petr lost his belt for kneeing a downed opponent. why was this one a no contest?
Seen a video where majority of fighters names that ended in V. That fought in Abu Dhabi won.
It's so sad that everyone is blaming the doctor, forgetting the referee how did not give johnny the usual 5 minutes recovery time. And, again, the referee is in charge of every decision that takes place in any game. So can you people stop blaming the doctor and face were the actual problem/ problems that some incompetente referees courses in octagon. I do hope people understand what im trying to say with my bad English. English is not my language, same as Jonny Walker 😊😊😊
His answer to the doc is too funny. Desert 😂
They were so quick to call it off because it was a quick "fix" for the fight...
I didn't know who Johnny Walker is before this, and now I'm a fan😊
They need to change it to a DQ win for Johnny.
Doctor Shouldn't be worried with the wording unless he says the fighter cant fight or see. If the man is standing ready to go. Stand down and let the Referee do his job to assess and resume the fight.
Should have been a disqualification win for Jonny Walker. The same thing has happened many times and the person who gets illegally kneed in head gets the win by DQ every time, not sure what happened here.
that was heart breaking to watch
The fact that he’s in the red is insane
We have to have an interview with the doctor