Pavlovich defeats Xicão by knockout. Photo: Reproduction / UFC
Valter Walker couldn't see a positive side to Tallison 'Xicão's' defeat at UFC Macau (held this Saturday (30)). The Brazilian giant faced Serguei Pavlovich in a duel that could have catapulted him to the top of the heavyweight division (up to 120,2 kg), but ended up being knocked out in just 39 seconds. For his friend, the 'foot hunter', the result only finds some justification in the financial aspect.
In a live broadcast on his YouTube channel, Valter Walker assessed that Xicão could have adopted a more cautious strategy, maintaining a greater distance and focusing on strikes while retreating. In the fighter's view, defeats of this type rarely bring technical or evolutionary benefits, serving, at most, to curb an inflated ego. Even so, he doesn't believe that was the case for the Brazilian.
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“Man, if Xicão were a smart guy, I would have kept a much greater distance than he was keeping, you know? Much greater, used more, hit while moving backwards, you know? But I don't know, man, like, a defeat like that only serves some purpose… If I have a really high ego, it might help to soften things up, to calm you down. But in this case, I don't believe that will solve anything for him… What good did this fight do him? Maybe financially, if he needed money,” said Valter Walker.
Tallison Xicão's moment in the UFC
Signed through the Contender Series, Tallison Xicão made a great impression when he arrived in the UFC. In his debut at UFC 312 , the Brazilian knocked out Junior Tafa with a powerful elbow strike in just a few seconds.
However, subsequent results were inconsistent. Xicão was knocked out by Derrick Lewis and also struggled to overcome Tai Tuivasa , who was going through a negative phase with six consecutive losses. Now, after another setback, the expectation is that the heavyweight will take a step back in his career to restructure.
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