Valter Walker isn’t in a rush. After tapping out Kennedy Nzechukwu in under a minute at UFC Nashville with yet another heel hook, the Brazilian heavyweight made one thing clear, he’s not looking to repeat his brother’s mistake.
The submission win marked Walker’s third straight heel hook victory, and it came with a $50,000 bonus and a fresh UFC contract. But he walked away from that night with more than just a payday, he left with a lesson. He understands the buzz, the excitement, and the UFC’s need for fresh faces in a shallow heavyweight pool, but he’s staying grounded.
“I’m very happy because I won and got the bonus and a new contract, but I was unhappy with my despair,” Walker told MMA Fighting. “I thought I would be more calm. The moment I threw a jab and he held my glove, that surprised me. I thought he was going to walk backwards. I started running and chasing him, and that was a serious mistake.
“If he was more experienced, someone ranked in the top 10, he would have knocked me out, no doubt. That’s a mistake I want to go back to the gym and train. I have a ton of wrestling, I don’t know why that happened. I don’t know if it was lack of experience or me being immature because the arena was packed, all that noise. It was a silly mistake I have to fix. I’m glad I was able to fix that mistake quickly.”
Walker’s maturity comes from watching how fast hype can turn into heartbreak. His older brother, Johnny Walker, burst onto the UFC scene with three first-round knockouts. The MMA world declared him the next big threat to Jon Jones, but things unraveled quickly. After a fast 3-0 start, Johnny dropped four of his next five fights. That sudden fall made a lasting impression on Valter.
“I’m going to say something I’ve never said before,” Valter said. “My brother 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?”
Valter Walker refuses to get ahead of himself. He’s aiming to return in September for UFC Paris or later in Rio de Janeiro. He has no interest in rushing into the rankings. Instead of calling for a Top 10 opponent, he’s eyeing another tough but unranked name: Mario Pinto.
“I know the top 10 guys are on a whole other level,” Walker said. “Like I said before, I don’t want to be there now. I don’t. I’m saying this over and over again, I don’t want to be ranked now. I’m not ready. If I can hold on for a year and a half, two years, cool, then I can be on the ranking. If I go to the rankings now, I’ll be upset. That would be against my will.”
The UFC may have other plans, and Walker knows that. The promotion could throw him into the fire, matching him up with someone ranked 11–15. That’s the kind of gamble he wants to avoid.
“If they want me to be a heavyweight star, they will have patience,” he said. “Now, if they want me to go to the ranking and win one fight and lose four and get cut and no one knows who I am anymore, they’ll throw me up there. It’s their choice. There’s nothing I can do. I’ll dance the music they play. But our plans have to be aligned so I can reach my full potential as an athlete and offer it to the company.
“I believe I can offer them my greatest potential, a better Valter, but I need time to work on that Valter. I can offer the UFC a better version of me, I just need time to evolve. If they have patience, I can become a star.”
Valter Walker isn’t just learning from Johnny. He’s also drawing lessons from other fast-rising heavyweights like Tallison Teixeira, who stepped into a main event against Derrick Lewis after just one UFC win. It ended quickly—Lewis needed only 35 seconds. That loss stayed with Valter.
“I was very sad that [Teixeira] lost,” Walker said. “I believed he would get past Derrick, I told him that, but then what? ‘You’re only 25 and you’re in the top 8. Who are you going to fight in the top 8? There are only badasses there and you’re 25. You can’t fight them yet.’
“It’s a whole other muscle mass, a whole other knockout power, a whole other experience. The stoppage was early, but what if he didn’t stop it? What if another hand lands? ‘Xicão’ could be f*cked now.
“Or maybe he recovers and beats Derrick? Yes, we’ll never know. But you have to stay with your feet on the ground and fight your reality. A wise man knows his limits. I can’t say something like, ‘I’ll do this and that,’ knowing I can’t. I can’t lie to myself. I have to be honest with myself.”
Walker’s honesty, discipline, and humility keep him grounded. He even ditched a planned walkout stunt at UFC Nashville involving rubber feet and a cowboy hat after his wife reminded him what was at stake. The moment symbolized something deeper—Walker understands that ego kills progress.
“When you start to grow and become famous, make money, it’s normal to have that ego,” Walker said. “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. 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.”
“I don’t know if you’ve ever heard of this story but I believe it was in Greece, the warrior king would have a slave walking behind them murmuring, ‘You’re just a man.’ Kings would win wars and be treated as gods and then they would think they were unbeatable, but would always have a slave reminding them, ‘You’re just a man.’ I think that’s very important for an athlete, especially one in the UFC. A fight week is crazy, they make you feel like a star. The fans, the arena, photoshoots, interviews. You have to be very mature otherwise it goes bad.”
