“Imagine a baseball player going to the NFL or a basketball player turning around and going to the NFL,” said Julius Walker’s Coach Brad Montgomery. “That’s so hard to do.”
Former Greenwood and Drury hooper Julius “Juice Box” Walker has a knack for pivoting, more than just on the basketball court.
“As a coach, I’ve been doing this for 20 years, and I’ve never seen anything like it,” Montgomery said.
With just six years of fighting experience, the 26-year-old is preparing for his third UFC Fight Night.
“It’s a big opportunity for me,” Walker said. “A little bit of a jump in competition. But, you know, it’s a huge opportunity. And I was willing to fight whoever they put in front of me.”
Walker is 1-1 so far in the UFC, going the distance in both fights that came down to judges’ decisions. Win or lose, he grew stronger physically and mentally.
“I went in there, and I think I built it up a lot in my head,” Walker said. “I told myself that I needed to do something crazy and something special. I didn’t just think, I just need to be myself and fight – fight to my strengths and fight freely. I put myself under a lot of pressure.”
He says he is also learning to soak in the UFC experience – not just the fighting aspect of it.
“There was a line, I don’t even know how long it was,” Montgomery said while reflecting on Walker’s UFC debut. “Julius signed every single autograph. They let us stay till after the fights were over. We sat there for probably two hours. He was the only fighter who did it.”
It’s important to Walker to show his appreciation for the support, from fans to sponsors, because fighting is now his full-time career. Plus, every time he steps in the cage, he knows he is representing Southwest Missouri.
“We have our fair share of incredible athletes,” Walker said. “We have Olympians. We’ve got the best high school football player in the country. We got Chase Branham, who’s probably going to the league too. We got Chapel Rhone, a freaking iconic pop star. For me to be able to be a UFC fighter fighting out of Springfield, Missouri, the support of the community has been huge.”
Expect “Juice Box” to be relentless on Saturday night against veteran fighter Dustin Jacoby, just like his journey from the court to the octagon.
