UFC president Dana White not impressed by Johnny Walker victory vs Anthony Smith: "Didn’t really wow anybody tonight"

In the UFC Charlotte bout versus Anthony Smith, Johnny Walker got a very pleasant victory. Dana White, however, wasn’t quite happy with Walker’s win.

Walker and Lionheart competed in the co-main event of UFC on ABC 4 on Saturday, May 13, at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. The judges scored the bout 30-27, 30-27, and 29-28 in favor of Johnny, giving him the victory by unanimous decision.

The biggest win of his career to date!!! 👏@JohnnyWalker earns the UD tonight!!! #UFCCharlotte pic.twitter.com/TKmpBGtrS6

— UFC (@ufc) May 13, 2023

What did Dana White say about Johnny Walker?

Even though the Brazilian defeated Smith, Dana White expressed his displeasure with Walker’s performance along with many other MMA fans. Dana indicated he had high hopes for Johnny during the UFC Charlotte post-fight press conference.

“Walker didn’t really wow anybody tonight, but he won. He was put on the co-main event to kind of shine tonight. He got a ‘W,’ so I guess that’s good.” Dana said.

Dana White: Johnny Walker ‘didn’t really wow anybody’ at UFC Charlotte (@DamonMartin) https://t.co/4Jg1ruB6w1 pic.twitter.com/moKq97ddqR

— MMA Fighting (@MMAFighting) May 14, 2023

Dana pretty much summed up everyone’s thoughts when he said, “Johnny never went for the finish.” This is essentially accurate given that Johnny had Smith cornered but was unable to take advantage of the circumstance. Walker went for the decision rather than taking a chance to knockout Lionheart.

“Obviously he’s in there with a very durable, tough guy and a dangerous guy in Smith. But Smith got dropped, was hurt in the first round, and then his leg was gone, and Johnny never tried to finish the fight. Just tried to fight safe and get the win.” White added.

If Smith could defeat Walker, he had his sights set on a title battle. However, with back-to-back losses, the American fighter’s UFC future is now at risk. The 34-year-old fighter had already lost to Magomed Ankalaev last year before his loss to Walker.