Johnny Walker’s move to heavyweight gives Mick Parkin a major opportunity at UFC 332, but the Brazilian’s size, reach and finishing threat make this closer than an early betting lean may suggest. The odds pick is Parkin to win by decision, with Walker’s Round 1 knockout route the result that can flip the fight fast.
Walker and Parkin meet on the early prelims of UFC 332 at Delta Center in Salt Lake City on October 3. It is a three-round heavyweight bout and Walker’s first UFC appearance above light heavyweight. The matchup was announced in August after Walker’s planned heavyweight debut against Ante Delija fell through.
The market has been unsettled since opening. An early prediction-market listing showed the fight at 50-50, while more recent prices have Parkin around 56-64 percent, with Walker priced in the mid-40s depending on the market and using a bonus with 1xbet promo code. Parkin has spent his entire UFC run at heavyweight, while Walker is taking a serious step up in size.
Parkin is listed at 264 pounds with a 79-inch reach. Walker is 6ft 5in with an 82-inch reach, but his listed fight weight at light heavyweight was 206 pounds. The reach edge is Walker’s, yet the question is whether he can use it while dealing with a man who could be close to 60 pounds heavier on fight night.
Johnny Walker vs Mick Parkin Odds
The best early approach is to avoid overcommitting until weigh-ins. A Parkin moneyline price in the region of 60 percent feels fair, but Walker becomes more interesting if the market pushes him well beyond that range. This is his debut at 265 pounds, and there is no UFC heavyweight sample to prove how his movement, durability or cardio will carry after the added mass.
Parkin enters at 10-1 and had won his first four UFC fights before losing a unanimous decision to Marcin Tybura in March 2025. His promotional wins over Jamal Pogues, Caio Machado and Mohammed Usman all went to the scorecards, which points to a fighter able to bank rounds through control, position and a measured pace. He then stopped Lukasz Brzeski in the first round at UFC 304 for his first UFC finish and a Performance of the Night award.
Parkin should close distance without chasing, press Walker toward the fence, work body locks and takedowns, then force the former 205-pound contender to carry his weight. Walker has been submitted once in 33 professional bouts and owns a brown belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, so this is not a free grappling assignment.
Still, prolonged clinch work and top control would reduce the space Walker needs for knees, kicks and long punches. Parkin also has age on his side. He turns 31 two days before the fight, while Walker is 34, making his debut in the weight class. That does not decide a bout, but it adds to the case for the Englishman in a fight built around physical pressure and repeat wrestling exchanges.
Walker is far more experienced at UFC level, holding a 22-10 record with one no contest. Seventeen of his 22 wins have come by knockout or technical knockout, including UFC stoppages of Khalil Rountree Jr., Justin Ledet, Misha Cirkunov, Ryan Spann, Paul Craig and Zhang Mingyang. His win over Zhang in August 2025 came via leg kicks and punches in Round 2, showing he can create damage without relying on one big swing.
Walker has been stopped six times, including first-round losses to Corey Anderson, Jamahal Hill and Volkan Oezdemir. His latest outing, a split-decision defeat to Dominick Reyes in April, was competitive, but he now enters a new division after a run that has mixed sharp wins with costly defensive lapses.
A Parkin win would restore momentum after the first loss of his career and keep a ranked heavyweight moving forward. For Walker, this is more than a divisional experiment. A convincing victory could extend his UFC career in a new weight class; a flat showing would leave difficult questions about whether heavyweight offers a fresh start or a tougher version of the problems he met at 205 pounds.
