UFC heavyweight Valter Walker doesn’t want to replicate his star brother’s quick ascent after his big win at UFC Nashville.
Valter Walker extended his remarkable three-fight heel hook submission win streak by tapping out Kennedy Nzechukwu at UFC Nashville. Walker has bounced back nicely since dropping his UFC debut against Lukasz Brzeski last year and is knocking on the door of a potential spot in the heavyweight Top 15.
But if it was up to Walker, he wouldn’t put himself anywhere close to the Top 15 until he garners more experience.
Valter Walker shares surprising reason he wants the UFC to give him long path to heavyweight Top 15
Valter, the younger brother of UFC light heavyweight Johnny Walker, has seen first-hand how hyped prospects can face a harsh taste of reality in the UFC Octagon. After a torrid start to his UFC career, some believed Johnny would be the biggest threat to dethroning then-UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones.
But after watching Johnny lose four of five fights after a 3-0 start to his UFC tenure, Valter wants to take a different path to the top.
In a recent interview with MMA Fighting, Walker explained why he wants to avoid his brother’s quick ascent to UFC stardom.
“I’m going to say something I’ve never said before,” Walker said. “My brother [Johnny] went to the UFC and had three knockouts and everybody was like, ‘He’ll beat Jon Jones.’ Brother, Jon Jones only fought champions and ex-champions his entire life. Johnny beat three cans. The only real one was Khalil Rountree.
“We went to Russia to train at that time and they offered him Corey Anderson. My coach told him, ‘Man, you’re not ready for Corey Anderson. You better say you’re not ready. Not yet.’ And then another coach said, ‘No, he’s ready. He will beat Corey Anderson and then fight Jon Jones and become champion.’ When he said that, all the Russians started laughing. They’re honest. Johnny felt offended, you know? F*ck, but they say the truth and you feel offended. Why people lie to make your eyes glow, you like it. And then you get screwed and everyone disappears, you know?
Walker went on to detail why he wants to stray from big spotlights as he gains more MMA experience.
“You start to think you’re the best. You can’t change with those around you. You need to hear people because they will set limits,” Walker continued. “Everybody has flaws, but you need to have the flaws that are acceptable. You can’t cross a line. My brother is a completely different man today. He’s still a bit lunatic, but he’s more mature now. I tell him the truth and he listens, and I listen when he tells me the truth.”
Johnny will return next month in the UFC Shanghai main event against Zhang Mingyang. He returns to the Octagon for the first time since back-to-back knockout losses to Volkan Oezdemir and Magomed Ankalaev in 2024.
- READ MORE: Chael Sonnen believes UFC Nashville main event’s controversial KO stoppage was accidental
Chael Sonnen shared a unique theory on UFC Nashville controversy
Meanwhile, Valter’s highlight-reel submission was one of several big moments from an eventful night at UFC Nashville. UFC all-time knockouts leader Derrick Lewis finished Tallison Teixeira in just 35 seconds in the UFC Nashville main event, albeit with a hint of controversy.
Teixeira immediately protested the TKO stoppage after he returned to his feet following a Lewis right hand that knocked him down in the opening seconds. Referee Jason Herzog later claimed that his stoppage was ‘a little bit early’ in a recent conversation with ‘Big’ John McCarthy.
UFC Hall of Famer Chael Sonnen believes Herzog’s stoppage was by accident, and feels Herzog meant to discipline Teixeira for a fence grab during the final exchanges. In Teixeira’s first post-fight remarks, he didn’t publicly appeal the TKO ruling.