Heavyweight prospect Valter Walker entered the UFC with similar hype as his brother, Johnny.
Valter Walker will make his third UFC walk this weekend at UFC Vegas 102. After losing his promotional debut last April, Walker bounced back with a controversial win over Junior Tafa at UFC 305 and is looking to leave no doubt this time around against heavyweight vet Don’Tale Mayes.
Valter, the younger brother of UFC light heavyweight star Johnny Walker, has a unique skill set for a heavyweight. In addition to his one-punch knockout power, Valter possesses a tricky ground game and vicious ground-and-pound when he gets top position on his opponents.
Despite training on opposite sides of the globe, Valter and Johnny have a unique relationship that transcends their mutual love for combat.
Valter Walker’s first training session with his brother featured ‘crying’ after a kick to the face
In a 2024 interview with MMA Junkie, Valter explained how Johnny gave him a rude welcome to combat sports in their first training session together.
“This guy kicked my face. My first training with professional guys, he came in to do sparring. He kicked my face. I started to cry. Bro, I don’t know. I don’t want to cry,” Valter said. “I started to cry and I ran [from] the cage. I ran to the toilet and started to cry. He went in the toilet and said, ‘Stop crying. Come back to the sparring.’ Bro. I had five rounds of sparring, crying. What the f—?” (h/t MMA Junkie)
Despite some tough love from Johnny as he began his MMA training, Valter credits him with aiding in his success.
“All these years, (Johnny) took care of me,” Valter said. “I live in Russia. We don’t live together, but we talk every day. He takes care of me. He helps me with my financials. I don’t make very big money. I make money just now. … He gives me advice in my training, my preparation, my everything. … In this moment, I’m more mature. It’s the moment I come out from the shadows.”
A win over Mayes would move Valter one step closer to the heavyweight rankings. Before losing his UFC debut, Valter won his first 10 professional fights.
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Johnny Walker eying triumphant comeback after back-to-back KO losses
Meanwhile, Johnny’s timeline for a UFC return is uncertain after withdrawing from UFC 311 last month due to injury. He was supposed to face talented light heavyweight Bogdan Guskov after back-to-back knockout defeats to Magomed Ankalaev and Volkan Oezdemir.
Johnny, a Dana White’s Contender Series graduate, has had his fair share of ups and downs in the promotion since making his debut in 2018. But when Johnny is in a fighting rhythm, he’s one of the light heavyweight division’s most dangerous contenders.
UFC Vegas 102 is headlined by a middleweight clash between Jared Cannonier and Gregory Rodrigues.