Johnny Walker will look to rebound in a new division.
Walker (22-10 MMA, 8-7 UFC) takes on Ante Delija (26-8 MMA, 1-2 UFC) in a heavyweight bout at UFC Fight Night 283 on Aug. 1 from Belgrade Arena in Serbia, promotion officials announced Tuesday.
Bringing the big boys to Belgrade 😤 👊 #UFCBelgrade
🇭🇷 Ante Delija vs @JohnnyWalker 🇧🇷
🇷🇸 Jovan Leka vs Max Gimenis 🇧🇷Tickets on sale this FRIDAY 🎟️ Register your interest 🔗 ➡️ https://t.co/zbioyeUGsTpic.twitter.com/hhoxcxeuAF
— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) May 26, 2026
A longtime contender at 205 pounds, Walker will compete at heavyweight for the first time since 2018. After scoring an upset finish of Zhang Mingyang in the UFC Fight Night 257 headliner last August, Walker was edged out in a split decision loss to Dominick Reyes at UFC 327 in April.
Delija, the 2022 PFL heavyweight champion, is on a two-fight losing skid. After knocking out Marcin Tybura in his UFC debut, the 35-year-old Croatian fighter dropped two straight fights to Waldo Cortes-Acosta and Serghei Spivac.
The current lineup for UFC Fight Night 283 includes:
- Uros Medic vs. Daniel Rodriguez
- Aleksandar Rakic vs. Marcin Tybura
- Dusko Todorovic vs. Robert Valentin
- Max Gimenis vs. Jovan Leka
- Vlasto Cepo vs. Gilbert Urbina
- Ante Delija vs. Johnny Walker
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC Belgrade: Johnny Walker makes heavyweight return vs. Ante Delija