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Valter Walker | Taking The ‘Ronda Rousey’ Route To The Top
Brazilian Heavyweight Plans To Work His Way To The Title, One Heel Hook At A Time.
Valter Walker isn’t a normal UFC heavyweight contender. The Moscow-based Brazilian is taking his own approach to his battles inside the Octagon, and it’s seen him stand out as one of the most unique, dangerous contenders in the division. Walker kicked off his UFC career with a unanimous decision loss to Lukasz Brzeski back in April 2024, then bounced back with a first-round heel hook finish of Junior Tafa at UFC 305 the following August.
It was the first heel-hook finish of Walker’s career, and one that opened the door to a remarkable run of form that has carried him all the way into the UFC’s heavyweight rankings.
Currently listed 11th in the Meta UFC Rankings, Walker has followed up that heel-hook finish of Tafa with three more submission wins. All came in the first round, and all came via the same technique: the heel hook.
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While many of his heavyweight rivals possess the ability to finish fights with their fists, Walker’s knockout punch comes via his grappling, and his ability to hit the heel hook from unusual setups during the heat of battle under MMA rules. It’s a unique skillset, and one that he has quickly developed real confidence in after drilling the technique relentlessly in the gym.
“Before, I did it in the gym, but when I did it in the UFC for the first time, it gave me a lot of confidence in myself with this skill, and I started training it more in the gym, and I believed in it more,” he explained. “And when I did it more in fights, I believed in myself more [and] I started to do it from everywhere.”
Walker’s run of form, tearing through successive opponents using the same technique each time, has evoked memories of UFC Hall of Famer and the first female champion in UFC history, Ronda Rousey, whose mastery of the armbar helped her win a string of fights using her own go-to submission before eventually going on to capture UFC gold.
Walker is well aware of Rousey’s journey, and the similarities to his own, and his response is a simple question: “Why not me?”
“People talk [and say] it’s the first time a heavyweight has done that,” he said. “But if you go back in time and see Ronda Rousey, she made eight armlocks in a row and became a champion. Why not me? Why can’t I do the same?”
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Clearly, Walker is supremely confident in his ability to finish fights using his go-to move, but he admitted it took a little encouragement from his coach for him to fully believe in his technique and embrace his own unique approach to winning fights.
“All the time my coach repeated to me, ‘Hey! Believe! Believe you can do this! I believe!’” he recalled. “My last fight, I didn't really believe I could do it, and my coach said, ‘Hey! Try! Try to do this again!’ I tried, and it happened. If Ronda Rousey can [win by armbar] eight times, why can’t I [win by heel hook], I dunno, maybe six, seven times? I’ll try.
Valter Walker: 'I Break His Foot, Take The Money And Go Home' | UFC Abu Dhabi
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Valter Walker: 'I Break His Foot, Take The Money And Go Home' | UFC Abu Dhabi
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Walker faces American Thomas Petersen on Saturday night at UFC Fight Night: Ankalaev vs Guskov, and said that, while he’s been sharpening his go-to finisher, Petersen’s pre-fight prep won’t be good enough to stop him from adding another heel hook victory to his resumé.
“I don't believe Thomas Petersen had the time to be better at defending heel hooks than I am at attacking with them,” he said.
“I’ve been doing this [move] maybe two years. I train this every day. Maybe in the gym it’s kickboxing day, but when I train with my sparring partner, we mix everything, every time. It’s kickboxing day, but we use takedowns and heel hooks. I do this every day. Saturday is just going to be one more day.”
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Walker is clearly confident that he can carry his form into Saturday’s fight with Petersen, with the Brazilian admitting that he isn’t impressed with the American’s approach to his fights.
Walker battled through the pain barrier after sustaining a broken fibula in his fight with Louie Sutherland at UFC 321, and while his leg is fully healed now, the Brazilian fully expects Petersen to try to test it on Saturday night.
Saturday's Full Fight Card Breakdown
“I know what he wants to do. I know what he’s planning,” he said. “He knows I broke my leg, so he wants to try to kick my leg. He’s going to try to throw jabs and overhands. What’s this guy doing in the UFC? All the time he holds guys on the cage, tries to f*** time and win by decision. He’s gonna try the same with me. What more can he do? I’ll break his plan, break his foot, take the money [and] go home. This is what I do, and this is what I’ll do again.”
And when asked what the fans can expect from “The Clean Monster” this weekend, Walker answered emphatically, with a callback to his previous reference to Rousey.
“I told you, bro! Go back in time and look at Ronda Rousey! She did this eight times in a row. Why can’t Valter Walker do that? She did it eight times and became a champion. Why not me? Why only her? If she can, I can, too!”
UFC Fight Night: Ankalaev vs Guskov took place live from Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on July 25, 2026. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!
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