UFC 332 results: Johnny Walker destroys Mick Parkin with absurd knee KO in heavyweight debut

Johnny Walker may have found himself a proper new home at heavyweight.

The veteran Brazilian needed less than four minutes to starch Mick Parkin with a highlight-reel knee from the clinch Saturday on the UFC 332 prelims at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City. Walker (23-10, 1 NC), a longtime light heavyweight contender, looked fast and explosive at the heavier weight, and ultimately banished his English foe to the land of wind and ghosts with a brutal series of knees at the 3:35 mark of the opening round.

"I like to play hard, I don't like easy things. So at light heavyweight, I had to nerf [myself]," Walker said post-fight. "You know when people play online, when their character is too strong, the admin nerfs him so it takes power off? I nerfed myself at light heavyweight — I lost muscle mass, I dehydrated my brain, everything. Now, at heavyweight, I'm buff and I can do s***."

"I don't think there's any heavyweight that can fight like me," he added.

The move up in weight could be exactly the kind of spark Walker's career needs.

Standing a towering 6-foot-5 with an immense 82-inch reach, the 34-year-old has long been a physical specimen at 205 pounds, but has struggled with his consistency and durability against the elite of the division, compiling just an 8-7 record with one no-contest in the UFC since 2018. In recent years, Walker has cited increasing difficulty with his weight cuts to light heavyweight, which he says left his body competing in a diminished state.

It remains to be seen whether heavyweight can be a solution to those issues, but if Saturday's divisional debut was any indication, the early returns appear to be promising.

On the other side, Parkin (10-2), who kicked off his UFC run with a four-fight win streak from 2023-24, has now lost back-to-back bouts against Marcin Tybura and Walker.

Check out complete UFC 332 results, highlights and round-by-round updates here.