Johnny Walker’s younger brother echoed the light heavyweight’s unorthodox post-fight celebrations after finishing his opponent at UFC Vegas 102.
Valter Walker, the younger brother of UFC light heavyweight mainstay Johnny Walker, had another triumphant performance in the Octagon in his UFC Vegas 102 return.
Valter faced his first Top 15 test against Don’Tale Mayes on Saturday at the Apex on the UFC Vegas 102 undercard. After a controversial win in his most recent performance, Valter was out to make a statement to the rest of the division against Mayes and made quick work of the talented veteran.
Just over a minute into the fight, and after getting the fight to the ground, Valter sunk in a nasty heel hook submission to force Mayes to quickly tap. It was Valter’s second consecutive UFC victory after making his promotional debut last April.
Valter Walker earns likely Top 15 heavyweight spot with quick finish at UFC Vegas 102
Check out Valter’s impressive finish below.
Coincidentally, Valter’s last performance that ended controversially also finished with a heel hook submission attempt at UFC 305. Valter’s opponent, Junior Tafa, appeared to verbally tap before quickly protesting the referee’s stoppage.
Valter and Tafa had to be separated immediately after the fight after exchanging unpleasantries, and Tafa smacked Valter in the face before personnel intervened. This time around, Valter left no doubt in his latest heel hook submission win, his second in as many fights.
After securing the win at UFC Vegas 102, Valter turned to his brother Johnny, who was a key member of his corner for this fight camp. To Johnny’s surprise, Valter turned the fight away from Mayes towards his brother just before the bout was made official.
Valter proceeded to ragdoll his brother Johnny in a humorous moment on the UFC Vegas 102 broadcast.
Valter Walker kept the fight going after slick submission at UFC Vegas 102
Johnny was supposed to return against Bogdan Guskov last month at UFC 311 before withdrawing due to injury. As of this writing, a timeline isn’t set for Johnny’s return to the Octagon, which would be his first fight since a loss to Volkan Oezdemir last June.
Before falling to Oezdemir, Johnny lost in a UFC main event against Magomed Ankalaev last year. He hasn’t won since defeating Anthony Smith by unanimous decision in May 2023.
Valter bounced back nicely after a UFC debut loss to Łukasz Brzeski in his promotional debut last year. Before the unanimous decision loss to Brzeski, Valter won his first 10 professional fights with seven stoppage victories during that stretch.
Now, Valter likely earned himself a spot in the heavyweight Top 15 with his quick finish of Mayes. The lack of depth in the UFC heavyweight division opens the door for talented prospects like Valter to make a quick ascent up the divisional ladder.
Despite training on opposite sides of the globe, Valter and Johnny’s relationship is unique in modern MMA. But anytime Valter has the chance to take down his brother Johnny, he’ll rarely pass up on the opportunity.