Johnny Walker Jumps to Heavyweight at UFC 332 in Salt Lake City

Johnny Walker is done cutting to light heavyweight. The Brazilian (22-10, 1 NC) will make his heavyweight debut against Mick Parkin (10-1) at UFC 332 on Oct. 3 at Delta Center in Salt Lake City, one of a batch of bouts the promotion confirmed Tuesday. It's the move Walker had lined up for August in Belgrade before his original opponent, Ante Delija, fell out for undisclosed reasons.

The matchup is a real test of Walker's power at 265. Parkin is unbeaten in the UFC and carries a 10-1 record into the biggest name of his career, while Walker brings the chaos and highlight-reel violence that made him a light heavyweight fixture. Delija, incidentally, sits at #9 in the heavyweight rankings with a 26-8 mark, so the division Walker's walking into isn't short on danger.

The Card Fills Out

The already-reported bantamweight bout between two-time flyweight champ Deiveson Figueiredo and Payton Talbott is now official for the same night. Elsewhere, Marvin Vettori (19-10-1) returns for his first outing of 2026 against Ismail Naurdiev (25-8). The former middleweight title challenger is trying to halt a four-fight losing streak — a slide that's dropped him well out of the picture he once fought at the top of.

Two of the middleweight division's brighter prospects also feature. Ateba Gautier (11-1) draws Roman Kopylov (15-5); Gautier's nine KOs from eleven wins, with zero submissions, tell you exactly how he likes to end fights. Damian Pinas (10-1) faces Andrey Pulyaev (10-5), who's coming off a first-round submission loss to Nursulton Ruziboev.

Rounding out the confirmed slate: unbeaten Imanol Rodriguez (7-0) meets Alden Coria (13-3, 1 NC), and Salt Lake City gets a hometown draw in veteran Court McGee (22-14), who takes on Tom Nolan (11-1) in what should be a loud room for the local.

A headliner still hasn't been named, which is a little unusual this close to fight week. But the undercard is stacked with stakes — Walker's reinvention, Vettori's survival job, and a pair of middleweight climbers all on one night. Expect the top-line announcement to land soon.