Valter Walker is proud of his recent achievements in the UFC, but admits he's still far from the feats of a legend in the sport. Riding a five-fight submission winning streak, utilizing techniques focused on his opponents' legs, the 'foot hunter' has become a benchmark for submissions in the heavyweight division (up to 120,2 kg). Even so, the Brazilian avoids comparisons with Fabricio Werdum.
In an interview with MMA Fighting, Walker emphasized that he values the quality of the opponents he submits more than the number of wins by that method. In that sense, he pointed to Werdum as the greatest heavyweight of all time.
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“For me, it’s not about how many submissions you have, but who you submitted. You didn’t mention his name, but I will. For me, the best of all time is Werdum, because what matters is who Werdum submitted, not how many submissions he has. Werdum submitted Fedor Emelianenko , he submitted Cain Velasquez . So, for me, Werdum is the greatest heavyweight of all time,” said Valter Walker.
The Brazilian also acknowledged that he is still far from reaching the veteran's level, stating that, despite his good form, his triumphs came against opponents who do not have great relevance on the scene, which, according to him, diminishes the weight of his achievements compared to Werdum's.
“It would be an honor for me to equal him, but I don’t think I’m even close to his level. I know I’m finishing a lot of guys, but they’re fighters who, honestly, don’t have big names yet. It’s an achievement, but it’s not an achievement like Werdum’s, for example,” concluded the ‘foot hunter’.
Walter Walker made history at UFC Abu Dhabi.
Although he made it clear that he doesn't want to accelerate his climb in the heavyweight division, Valter Walker has definitively cemented his name in the category by reaching a record of 16 wins and only one loss in his professional MMA career.
At 28 years old, the 'foot hunter' reached eighth place in the heavyweight rankings, boosted by his last performance when he needed only 1 minute and 32 seconds to finish American Thomas Petersen in the first round of UFC Abu Dhabi , held last Saturday (25).
With the victory, the Brazilian achieved his fifth consecutive submission win in the octagon, all applied to his opponents' legs and resolved in the first round, equaling the historic record that belonged exclusively to the legend Demian Maia.
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