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Johnny Walker’s youthful brother Valter Walker makes his UFC debut Saturday when he places his undefeated document on the road towards Lukasz Brzeski at UFC Vegas 90, and already being within the highlight due to his brother’s success offers him butterflies in his abdomen.
“I’m a 11-0 heavyweight with 5 belts, and folks already count on an ideal struggle,” Valter mentioned on MMA Combating’s podcast Trocação Franca. “I’m [nervous] that I received’t ship what followers count on. My brother is a knockout artist and my recreation isn’t like his. I’ve extra knockouts on the bottom. I take individuals down and ground-and-pound. We now have completely different types. Folks would possibly count on me to struggle 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 gentle heavyweight showdown towards 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 desires 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 seemed as much as him like a superhero. I used to be a child and he already was a teen. He was a robust teenager, very quick, and I wished to be like my brother.”
Valter was attending in regulation faculty in Brazil when Johnny moved to England to coach for his 2018 struggle on the UFC’s Contender Collection. Valter flew in to assist Johnny put together then caught round to be his sparring accomplice, 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 obtained 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 lavatory 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 struggle 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 instances out. An injured shoulder then pressured Valter to sideline himself and think about leaving fight sports activities for regulation faculty, the place he’d examine to turn into a police officer in Brazil, nonetheless his brother satisfied him to have surgical procedure first.
Russian coach Gor, the chief of GOR MMA and Valter’s important coach since then, noticed championship potential in him and supplied to assist him get shoulder surgical procedure. Valter ended up getting married and turning into a father in Russia, and has collected MMA titles around the globe 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 struggle, I mentioned I’m finished planning. There was a struggle that my coach mentioned it was going to be simple and I went three rounds, tremendous powerful. ‘Straightforward struggle?’ After which one we anticipated to be exhausting, I completed within the first spherical. I don’t prefer to make plans.
“Persons are like, ‘It’s Johnny’s brother, 11-0, and the opposite man is coming off 4 losses.’ He has payments to pay identical to I’ve. He’s there to kill me and I’m there to kill him. Folks 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, after all, and placed on a very good struggle. I need to ship what individuals 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.”
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