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UFC rising star Johnny Walker says he's honored Jon Jones wants to fight him down the line -- telling TMZ Sports he's "not scared" to get into the Octagon with the greatest of all time.

Just last week, Jones named Walker as one of the guys he's eyeing to fight in his pursuit of 50 MMA wins.

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So, we asked Walker for his thoughts on being on Jones' list -- and the 26-year-old was stoked!!!

"It feels so exciting," Walker told us ... "I feel proud about myself. People start to know me now, this is my dream come true."

Walker says he needs a few more fights under his belt before he's ready to take on a legend like Jones -- but he's definitely not afraid of the challenge.

"I need to beat [3 or 4 more guys] and this will give me more experience and I'll be ready for Jon Jones."

Of course, Walker is coming off of a sensational knockout performance against Misha Cirkunov at UFC 235 -- but suffered a shoulder injury while doing his worm celebration dance.

The good news ... Walker says he can move his arm but admits his shoulder is still "in a little bit of pain."

"I have to go to hospital to check everything," Walker says.

Walker believes he dislocated his shoulder -- but feels it popped back in ... and "aligned to the right place."