“We are like gladiators and people are watching,” Walker said of fighting in a full arena. “When you fight in the APEX and closed arenas, of course you know that people are watching you at home, but it’s not the same when you can hear people react when you land a big shot, when you win a fight, and everybody celebrates with you. It’s different.”
After the two losses, Walker decided to make some changes to his camp and training to make improvements and prepare for Cutelaba. These changes sent him to Thailand, where he focused on a variety of different aspects.
UFC 279 EMBEDDED: Episode 1 | Episode 2 | Episode 3 | Episode 4
“I spent months in Thailand, training Muay Thai, a lot of boxing, boxing defense, MMA, jiu-jitsu,” Walker said. “I improved all my skills, but I worked a lot on my defense, because I got caught last time, so I have to be confident to not get caught anymore, hands up, chin down.”
Cutelaba is also looking to get back in the win column after a first-round submission loss against Ryan Spann in May. The 28-year-old has a UFC record of 5-6-1 after bouts against Magomed Ankalaev, Glover Teixeira and Jared Cannonier.
