By Luke Mullaney
On Saturday, July 25 at UFC Abu Dhabi, Valter Walker showed the world that he’s more than just Johnny Walker’s younger brother.
He’s clearly one of the most skilful, dangerous, exciting and entertaining prospects in the heavyweight division.
Walker’s 92-second victory over Thomas Petersen came by way of submission, via a rare calf slicer.
The rise of Valter Walker
With this victory, the Brazilian heavyweight extended his UFC win streak to five in a row, all of which came by way of first-round submission.
Interestingly, all five of his last submission wins have targeted his opponent’s legs.
Walker submitted previous opponents Junior Tafa, Don’Tale Mayes, Kennedy Nzechukwu and Louie Sutherland all with consecutive heel hooks.
Petersen, however, was able to escape the heel hook, but Walker was able to transition seamlessly into a calf slicer, resulting in the submission.
Valter Walker has made a name for himself, with fans online recognising his signature move as the heel hook.
This is part of the reason he is becoming a well-known star in the UFC.
A strong, personal identity
Walker has chosen to lean into his identity, weighing in for his most recent fight wearing a ‘heal’ chain around his neck.
Walker’s professional record now stands at 16-1, with his sole defeat coming against Polish fighter Łukasz Brzeski in his UFC debut in April 2024.
After losing by unanimous decision, he has gone undefeated in his five UFC fights ever since.
When Walker first entered the UFC, he was an unbeaten, yet relatively unknown heavyweight, living in the shadow of his older half-brother, UFC light heavyweight Johnny Walker.
Fast forward to 2026, and Valter Walker possesses the longest active winning streak in the heavyweight division, along with one of the most recognisable signature submissions in the entire promotion.
The UFC has a star problem
Recently, the UFC has had a lack of superstar names in the promotion.
This can largely be attributed to the recent retirements of older UFC stars, paired with a large wave of up and coming fighters who are still building up their profiles.
At a time where the UFC is in a serious need of new stars, Walker possesses the confidence, and natural charisma required to attract attention outside the Octagon.
Besides simply embracing his identity as the ‘foot hunter’, he’s more than willing to engage in trash talk with his opponents and put on a memorable post-fight performance on the mic.
It’s rare that the promotion finds stars that can both self-promote and consistently win in dominant fashion.
Walker’s naturally engaging personality allows him to do both.
Potential champion or bust?
In regard to Walker’s championship potential, his striking remains largely untested at the highest level.
Due to the lack of talent he’s faced so far, there are also legitimate questions around how his style will translate against the division’s best wrestlers or across a five-round fight.
It could be argued however, that Walker has the perfect style to compete in the heavyweight division.
His technical, high level grappling is far from the usual style heavyweights are used to dealing with.
Typically, heavyweights are accustomed to defending punches, takedowns and conventional chokes rather than navigating an entire system of heel hooks, leg entanglements and calf slicers, which is what Walker specialises in.
If Walker can continue to impose his will on his opponents, forcing them into positions and areas where he’s the most dangerous, he doesn’t have to be an ultra-well-rounded fighter.
He’s only 28 years of age, meaning he has plenty of time to develop any areas lacking in his game.
Is Josh Hokit next in line?
Perhaps the best fresh match-up in the heavyweight division could be Walker versus the 10-0 undefeated Josh Hokit.
They are both exciting heavyweight prospects, with very different grappling styles and a genuine pre-existing feud.
The hostility began when Hokit said that he had already “stomped” two Brazilians, wanted a third and told Walker that he “absolutely sucks.”
Walker responded by threatening to break Hokit’s leg and went as further to call him an undersized, overhyped heavyweight.
When breaking down the match-up, Hokit’s wrestling would usually be his biggest advantage against other heavyweights, however, against Walker, taking the fight to the ground would be a dangerous approach.
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Prospect of Hokit vs Walker
The fight could potentially become a striking match, where both fighters must bite down on the mouthpiece to get the win.
This brand-new match-up has everything needed to turn the winner into a bigger star and bring in casual viewers.
It has two entertaining prospects, a unique clash of styles, especially for the division, and genuine bad blood.
As of now, Walker isn’t championship-ready yet. Additionally, his striking, takedown defence and endurance are still largely untested and questionable.
Hokit may be the perfect opponent to prove himself against.
The future is bright for the exciting and up-and-coming prospect in Valter Walker. Time will tell whether he has what it takes to become champion.
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