UFC Charlotte live blog: Anthony Smith vs. Johnny Walker

This is the UFC Charlotte live blog for Anthony Smith vs. Johnny Walker, the light heavyweight co-main event on Saturday in Charlotte, NC.

A staple of the UFC since 2016, Anthony Smith has done just about everything you can do in the promotion, other than hold a title. A middleweight for most of his early run, “Lionheart” made the move up to 205 pounds in 2018 and immediately found success, stringing together three stoppage victories to earn a shot at Jon Jones and the light heavyweight title. Though he came up short that night, Smith has remained a fixture in the divisional top-five since then and hopes to make his case for another shot at the title with a win over the surging Walker.

Entering the UFC in 2018, Walker captivated fans with a trio of quick finishes that had people believing the Brazilian might be the future of the light heavyweight division. Unfortunately, Walker then lost four of his next five fights and appeared to have been just a flash in the pan. Recently though, Walker has regained that excellent form he first showed, scoring first-round finishes of Ion Cutelaba and Paul Craig to reinsert himself into the title picture at 205 pounds.

Check out the UFC Charlotte co-main event live blog below.