The UFC makes its highly anticipated debut at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia this weekend. Headlining this monumental fight card are two of the best middleweight contenders the UFC has to offer, former undisputed middleweight champion Robert Whittaker and surging prospect Ikram Aliskerov.

In a fight on the main card, we have a banger in the light heavyweight division between Johnny Walker and Volkan Oezdemir. Walker is coming off a knockout loss to the No. 1 contender in the light heavyweight division meanwhile, Oezdemir is coming off a dominant finish of Bogdan Guskov his last time out.

With that said, we take a look at this light heavyweight fight and give out our prediction and pick for this Walker-Oezdemir matchup.

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

UFC Saudi Arabia: Johnny Walker Prediction

Johnny Walker (21-8)?had a golden opportunity to put his name in the title picture when he took on the No. 1 contender Magomed Ankalaev but he ultimately was knocked out in that fight.

Now, Walker has to go back to the drawing board and work his way back up the rankings when he takes on former light heavyweight title challenger Volkan Oezdemir.

• Walker has looked like a new fighter over his last four fights ever since he made the move to SBG Ireland to train with John Kavanagh. He's been more patient on the feet and isn't as reckless as we've seen from him in the past.

However, that has its pros and cons as he should've been able to finish Anthony Smith when they fought but he was content with just keeping his distance and outstriking him throughout the fight.

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While we all want to see that crazy side of Walker who throws caution to the wind, he is better when he's picking his shots and that's what will help him in this matchup against a powerful striker like Oezdemir.

Also, Walker has seemed to level up his grappling while making the move to SBG Ireland which could be another added wrinkle to his game that he could help expose Oezdemir.

It will be up to Walker to be his usual self in there by utilizing his length and movement to keep out of harm's way while landing heavy strikes. If Walker can do that we can potentially see another highlight reel finish this weekend in Saudi Arabia.

UFC Saudi Arabia: Volkan Oezdemir Prediction

Volkan Oezdemir (19-7)?lived up to the nickname "No Time" when he wasted no time when he finished Bogdan Guskov in under four minutes via rear-naked choke.

He has now alternated wins and losses over his last four fights and he will be looking to finally get two wins in a row for the first time since 2019 when he takes on Johnny Walker this weekend.

Oezdemir has been a mainstay in the light heavyweight rankings as he's been a tough fight no matter who steps across from inside the Octagon.

• He has exceptional power as it was evident in his knockout of Ilir Latifi and his wrestling and grappling has certainly gotten better as we saw in his most recent submission of Bogdan Guskov.

Oezdemir has a dangerous opposition in front of him when he takes on Johnny Walker.

However, Oezdemir has shown to have a good chin on him only being knocked out twice in his 26-fight professional career. That toughness will go a long way of being able to hang in there on the feet with Walker in this matchup.

It would be wise for Oezdemir to mix things up between his striking and wrestling because he will be at a disadvantage if he makes this a kickboxing match with Walker. If he can put the pressure on Walker and get into boxing range while landing heavy shots and mixing in the takedowns, Oezdemir can make it two in a row this weekend.

UFC SAUDI ARABIA: JOHNNY WALKER VS. VOLKAN OEZDEMIR FANDUEL ODDS FOR JUNE 22ND

MONEY LINE

• JOHNNY WALKER: -120
• VOLKAN OEZDEMIR: +102

PROPS

• JOHNNY WALKER BY POINTS: +400
• JOHNNY WALKER BY SUBMISSION: +1000
• JOHNNY WALKER BY KNOCKOUT/TKO: +210
• VOLKAN OEZDEMIR BY POINTS: +390
• VOLKAN OEZDEMIR BY KNOCKOUT/TKO: +260
• VOLKAN OEZDEMIR BY SUBMISSION: +1300

OVER/UNDER (ROUNDS TOTAL)

• OVER 1.5 ROUNDS (-160)
• UNDER 1.5 ROUNDS (+126)

BEST UFC SAUDI ARABIA ODDS FOR JOHNNY WALKER VS. VOLKAN OEZDEMIR

• Volkan Oezdemir is the underdog. DraftKings Sportsbook currently has the best odds at (+120)

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• Johnny Walker is the favorite against Volkan Oezdemir. FanDuel Sportsbook currently has the best odds at (-120)

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• DraftKings currently has the best odds for the total, which is set at 1.5 Rounds (-145) for the over, and (+114) for the under

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FINAL WALKER-OEZDEMIR PICK & PREDICTION

This is a fantastic matchup in the light heavyweight division for the main card for this monumental event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Walker will be looking to get himself back into the title picture with a big win meanwhile, Oezdemir will be looking to keep surging up the rankings with a win this weekend.

• Ultimately, it's going to be the speed, length, and diversity of Walker that's going to give Oezdemir a ton of trouble in this matchup as he looks to keep his distance to outstrike his way to victory and get back into the win column.

FINAL WALKER-OEZDEMIR PICK & PREDICTION: JOHNNY WALKER (-120)

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