Johnny Walker’s youthful brother Valter Walker makes his UFC debut Saturday when he places his undefeated document on the road in opposition to Lukasz Brzeski at UFC Vegas 90, and already being within the highlight due to his brother’s success provides him butterflies in his abdomen.
“I’m a 11-0 heavyweight with 5 belts, and folks already count on an important battle,” Valter mentioned on MMA Preventing’s podcast Trocação Franca. “I’m [nervous] that I received’t ship what followers count on. My brother is a knockout artist and my sport isn’t like his. I’ve extra knockouts on the bottom. I take folks down and ground-and-pound. We now have completely different types. Individuals would possibly count on me to battle like my brother, however I’m not my brother, I’m fairly completely different.”
Valter expects to his Johnny in his nook for Saturday’s promotional debut, then plans to assist his brother put together for Johnny’s mild heavyweight showdown in opposition to Volkan Oezdemir at UFC Saudi Arabia on June 22.
Valter admitted he has felt “surreal expectations” from followers since his MMA debut as a result of his brother was already within the UFC on the time, and all he needs is to ship thrilling fights.
“I began understanding due to my brother, I began in MMA due to my brother,” mentioned the 26-year-old heavyweight. “I’ve at all times appeared as much as him like a superhero. I used to be a child and he already was a youngster. He was a powerful teenager, very quick, and I needed to be like my brother.”
Valter was attending in legislation college in Brazil when Johnny moved to England to coach for his 2018 battle on the UFC’s Contender Collection. Valter flew in to assist Johnny put together then caught round to be his sparring associate, following the UFC fighter to Thailand afterward.
“I used to be afraid to spar for actual, too afraid to get punched within the face,” Walker mentioned. “I didn’t prefer it, however I acquired beat up a lot by my brother.
“I cried in our first sparring session collectively. He kicked me within the face and I began crying. I left the ring and ran to the toilet and began crying. He went there and advised me he ‘simply touched my face,’ and advised me to get my sh*t collectively. I used to be solely 18. It was the third spherical of our sparring session and we did 5 extra rounds. I used to be crying, however nonetheless attempting to battle again. He advised me he thought I had what it took to be a fighter as a result of I used to be crying, however nonetheless attempting to hit him again.”
Valter mentioned he competed in Muay Thai earlier than coming into in some “unlawful no-rules fights on the sand” in Thailand. He misplaced his first try by TKO — and fractured his nostril within the course of — however then received his subsequent 4 occasions out. An injured shoulder then pressured Valter to sideline himself and contemplate leaving fight sports activities for legislation college, the place he’d research to develop into a police officer in Brazil, nevertheless his brother satisfied him to have surgical procedure first.
Russian coach Gor, the chief of GOR MMA and Valter’s major coach since then, noticed championship potential in him and supplied to assist him get shoulder surgical procedure. Valter ended up getting married and changing into a father in Russia, and has collected MMA titles world wide ever since. The UFC provide arrived after Walker claimed the Titan FC heavyweight title with a fourth-round stoppage of Alex Nicholson in his most up-to-date look.
“I don’t prefer to make plans as a result of each time I’ve made plans, it didn’t go the best way I used to be anticipating,” Walker mentioned of what to anticipate from his UFC debut. “After my ninth battle, I mentioned I’m executed planning. There was a battle that my coach mentioned it was going to be simple and I went three rounds, tremendous robust. ‘Simple battle?’ After which one we anticipated to be laborious, I completed within the first spherical. I don’t prefer to make plans.
“Individuals are like, ‘It’s Johnny’s brother, 11-0, and the opposite man is coming off 4 losses.’ He has payments to pay similar to I’ve. He’s there to kill me and I’m there to kill him. Individuals say it’s going to be simple, that I’m going to knock him out. I don’t prefer to underestimate anybody, as a result of when the cage closes and a punch lands on the chin, you’re out. The 11-0 man could be on the bottom and the man on a skid is now the champion. I’m going there to win, in fact, and placed on a very good battle. I wish to ship what folks count on. However we by no means know what’s going to occur. I’m prepared for something. I’m able to beat and get beat.”
