Walker knocks out Parkin on heavyweight debut and targets Tybura for December

Johnny Walker wasted no time announcing himself at heavyweight, stopping Mick Parkin with a knee at 3:35 of the opening round at UFC 332. The Brazilian, making his first appearance in the division, has already set his sights on his next challenge — calling out veteran Marcin Tybura for a December showdown.

Walker told talkSPORT he has formally requested the Tybura fight and hopes it lands at UFC 335 in Las Vegas. “I’ve asked for Marcin Tybura for my next fight. If he’s ready for December, I would like to fight him,” Walker said.

The 40-year-old Tybura arrives at a difficult moment in his career, having lost three consecutive bouts. He was knocked out by Ante Delija in September 2025 and subsequently dropped unanimous decisions to Tyrell Fortune and Aleksandar Rakic. His most recent win came against Parkin — the same man Walker just finished — back in March 2025.

For Walker, the appeal of Tybura is straightforward: experience. The Polish fighter has spent the better part of a decade competing at UFC heavyweight level, and Walker sees that as exactly the kind of test he needs before pushing toward the division’s upper tier.

“I want more experience before I take higher-ranked levels of fights, because I believe I have to,” Walker said. “I don’t want to step ahead of myself.”

It is a measured approach from a fighter whose style is anything but cautious. Walker built his reputation as a light heavyweight on spectacular finishes, and his transition to heavyweight appears to have lost none of that edge. Whether the UFC moves to book Tybura next remains to be seen, but Walker has made his preference clear.