Valter Ignacio[1] (born December 14, 1997), known as Valter Walker, is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of November 4, 2025, Walker is #14 in the UFC heavyweight rankings.[4]
| Valter Walker | |
|---|---|
| Born | Valter Ignacio[1] December 14, 1997 Rio das Ostras, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil |
| Nickname | The Clean Monster |
| Residence | Moscow, Russia |
| Height | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) |
| Weight | 244 lb (111 kg; 17.4 st) |
| Division | Heavyweight (2020-present) |
| Reach | 78.5 in (199 cm)[2] |
| Fighting out of | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil |
| Team | GOR MMA[3] |
| Years active | 2020-present |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 16 |
| Wins | 15 |
| By knockout | 6 |
| By submission | 5 |
| By decision | 4 |
| Losses | 1 |
| By decision | 1 |
| Other information | |
| Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog | |
Mixed martial arts career
editEarly career
editWalker moved to Moscow in 2018 to focus on training and began competing in mixed martial arts professionally in 2020.[5][6] In his early professional career, Walker compiled an undefeated 11-0 record, competing eight times in Russia, once in his native Brazil and becoming the heavyweight champion in three regional promotions. His record consisted of six wins by knockout, one win by submission and four wins by decision.[3] During this time, Walker fought under his real surname, Ignacio, so as to not garner high expectations from people recognising him from being the younger brother of Johnny Walker.[7]
Ultimate Fighting Championship
editOn June 14, 2023, it was reported that Walker had signed with the UFC, and was scheduled to face Jake Collier on September 23 at UFC Fight Night 228.[8] However, Walker later withdrew from the bout for unknown reasons and was replaced by Mohammed Usman.[9]
In his UFC debut, Walker faced Łukasz Brzeski on April 6, 2024, at UFC Fight Night 240.[10] He lost the fight by unanimous decision, marking his first loss in MMA.[11]
Walker faced Junior Tafa on August 17, 2024, at UFC 305.[12] He won the fight by submission in the first round after Tafa screamed in pain due to a heel hook.[13]
Walker faced Don'Tale Mayes on Februar 15, 2025, at UFC Fight Night 251.[14] He won the fight via heel hook submission in the first round.[15]
Walker faced Kennedy Nzechukwu on July 12, 2025, at UFC on ESPN 70.[16] He won the fight via heel hook submission in the first round, breaking the UFC record for most consecutive heel hook submission victories with three.[17] The win earned him his first Performance of the Night bonus.[18]
Walker was scheduled to face Mohammed Usman on October 11, 2025 at UFC Fight Night 261.[19] However, Usman withdrew from the fight due to a failed drug test and Walker was subsequently rescheduled to fight promotional newcomer Louie Sutherland on October 25 at UFC 321.[20] Walker won the fight via heel hook submission in the first round. With this win, Walker tied Rousimar Palhares for the most heel hook submissions (4) in UFC history, and extended his UFC record for most consecutive heel hook submissions to four.[21] The win earned him the Performance of the Night bonus.[22]
Championships and accomplishments
edit- Ultimate Fighting Championship
- Performance of the Night (Two times) vs. Kennedy Nzechukwu and Louie Sutherland[18][22]
- Tied (Rousimar Palhares) for most heel hook finishes in the UFC (4)[21]
- Most consecutive heel hook finishes in UFC (4)[21]
- Tied (Charles Oliveira & Brendan Allen) for the third longest submission streak in UFC history (4)[23][21]
- Titan FC
- Heavyweight Championship (One time)
- MMA Series
- Heavyweight Championship (One time)
- Arena Global MMA
- Heavyweight Championship (One time)
Personal life
editWalker is the younger half-brother of Johnny Walker, a fellow UFC fighter who competes in the light heavyweight division.[7]
He has recided in Moscow, Russia, since 2018 and has a permanent residency permit.[6]
Mixed martial arts record
edit| 16 matches | 15 wins | 1 loss |
| By knockout | 6 | 0 |
| By submission | 5 | 0 |
| By decision | 4 | 1 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 15–1 | Louie Sutherland | Submission (heel hook) | UFC 321 | October 25, 2025 | 1 | 1:24 | Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates | Performance of the Night. |
| Win | 14–1 | Kennedy Nzechukwu | Submission (heel hook) | UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. Teixeira | July 12, 2025 | 1 | 0:54 | Nashville, Tennessee, United States | Performance of the Night. |
| Win | 13-1 | Don'Tale Mayes | Submission (heel hook) | UFC Fight Night: Cannonier vs. Rodrigues | February 15, 2025 | 1 | 1:17 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United states | |
| Win | 12-1 | Junior Tafa | Submission (heel hook) | UFC 305 | August 17, 2024 | 1 | 4:56 | Perth, Australia | |
| Loss | 12–1 | Łukasz Brzeski | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Allen vs. Curtis 2 | April 6, 2024 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 11-0 | Alex Nicholson | TKO (Retirement) | Titan FC 82 | June 2, 2023 | 4 | 0:50 | Novi Sad, Serbia | Won the Titan FC Heavyweight Championship. |
| Win | 10–0 | Cássio de Oliveira | KO (punches) | MMA Series 67 | May 3, 2023 | 2 | 1:47 | Moscow, Russia | Won the MMASR Heavyweight Championship. |
| Win | 9–0 | Ramdan Mohamed | TKO (punches) | MMA Series 64 | March 18, 2023 | 1 | 2:27 | Hurghada, Egypt | |
| Win | 8–0 | Bunyod Akulov | TKO (punches) | MMA Series 60 | December 17, 2022 | 2 | 2:52 | Moscow, Russia | |
| Win | 7–0 | Ruslan Medzhidov | Decision (unanimous) | MMA Series 57 | October 2, 2022 | 1 | 0:38 | Moscow, Russia | |
| Win | 6–0 | Andrey Zhukovsky | Decision (unanimous) | MMA Series 54 | July 30, 2022 | 3 | 5:00 | Moscow, Russia | |
| Win | 5–0 | Wagner Maia | Decision (split) | Arena Global 16 | February 19, 2022 | 5 | 5:00 | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | Won the vacant AG Heavyweight Championship. |
| Win | 4–0 | Aybek Kobenov | Decision (unanimous) | MMA Series 47 | January 29, 2022 | 3 | 5:00 | Moscow, Russia | |
| Win | 3–0 | Denis Kazakov | TKO (retirement) | GOR MMA - Ignacio vs. Kazakov | December 5, 2021 | 1 | 4:50 | Moscow, Russia | |
| Win | 2–0 | Kertis Sakha Toyem | Submission (rear-naked choke) | FFC: Selection 5 | December 12, 2020 | 1 | 1:06 | Moscow, Russia | |
| Win | 1–0 | Dmitriy Plyukhov | TKO (punches) | Studsport - St. George Cup 5 | October 4, 2020 | 1 | N/A | Moscow, Russia | Heavyweight debut |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b Nag, Sayan (2025-11-01). "Say What? Valter Walker Claims Dog Ate His Pinky Toe". Sherdog. Retrieved 2025-11-05.
- ^ "Valter Walker". www.ufc.com. Retrieved 2025-11-06.
- ^ a b c "Valter Walker". Sherdog. Retrieved 2025-11-04.
- ^ "UFC Rankings - The Official UFC App - UFC.com". www.ufc.com. Retrieved 2025-11-04.
- ^ Nag, Sayan (2025-10-26). "Valter Walker Explains How Move to Russia Changed Fighting Career". Sherdog. Retrieved 2025-11-05.
- ^ a b "Brazilian UFC fighter Valter Walker seeks Russian citizenship". TASS. 2025-07-14. Retrieved 2025-11-05.
- ^ a b King, Nolan. "'Out of the shadows': Valter Walker thrilled to share UFC spotlight, real surname with brother Johnny". MMA Junkie. Retrieved 2025-11-05.
- ^ Cruz, Guilherme (2023-06-14). "Johnny Walker's brother, Valter Walker, signs with UFC for Sept. 23 debut against Jake Collier". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2025-11-05.
- ^ Jay Anderson (June 19, 2023). "Valter Walker, Brother of Light Heavyweight Johnny Walker, Books UFC Debut Against Jake Collier". cagesidepress.com. Retrieved 2025-11-05.
- ^ Anderson, Jay (2024-01-08). "Valter Walker Rebooks UFC Debut, Gets Lukasz Brzeski on April 6". cagesidepress.com. Retrieved 2025-11-05.
- ^ Wells, Matthew (2024-04-06). "UFC Fight Night 240 play-by-play and live results". MMA Junkie. Retrieved 2025-11-05.
- ^ Erickson, Matt; Bohn, Mike (2024-08-14). "Junior Tafa has a hit list, and the Walker Brothers are on it ahead of UFC 305". MMA Junkie. Retrieved 2025-11-05.
- ^ Anderson, Jay (2024-08-17). "UFC 305: Junior Tafa Scream Results in Technical Submission Win for Valter Walker". cagesidepress.com. Retrieved 2025-11-05.
- ^ Marina Magomedova (2024-12-14). "Walker to Face Mayes on February 16 at UFC Vegas 102". telecomasia.net. Retrieved 2024-12-14.
- ^ Jay Anderson (2025-02-15). "UFC Vegas 102: Valter Walker Snags Second Straight Heel Hook Sub, Taps Don'Tale Mayes". cagesidepress.com. Retrieved 2025-02-15.
- ^ "Кенеди Нзечувку срещу Валтер Уокър на UFC on ESPN 70". mma.bg. 2025-05-31. Retrieved 2025-05-31. (in Bulgarian)
- ^ Erickson, Matt (2025-07-14). "Valter Walker ready for nickname change after UFC Nashville: 'I'm the Foot Hunter'". MMA Junkie. Retrieved 2025-11-05.
- ^ a b Anderson, Jay (2025-07-13). "Four Bonuses Awarded at UFC Nashville, but None for Knockout King". cagesidepress.com. Retrieved 2025-11-05.
- ^ Magomedova, Marina (2025-08-28). "ESPN: Walker and Usman to Fight October 12 at UFC in Rio de Janeiro". Telecom Asia Sport. Retrieved 2025-11-05.
- ^ Harkness, Ryan (2025-10-15). "Valter Walker gets rebooked for UFC 321 against newcomer Louie Sutherland". MMA Mania. Retrieved 2025-11-05.
- ^ a b c d Bohn, Mike (2025-10-26). "UFC 321 post-event facts: Tom Aspinall vs. Ciryl Gane title fight has historic ending". MMA Junkie. Retrieved 2025-11-05.
- ^ a b Hiergesell, Dan (2025-10-25). "Bonuses! Valter Walker, Quillan Salkilld lead $50K winners with stunning finishes | UFC 321". MMA Mania. Retrieved 2025-11-05.
- ^ "UFC Fight Night 232 post-event facts: Brendan Allen on an all-time submission streak". MMA Junkie. November 19, 2023. Retrieved 2023-11-20.