Valter Walker is chasing a rare kind of dominance, aiming to extend his streak of first-round heel hook submissions and follow a path he compares to Ronda Rousey’s championship run.
The UFC heavyweight, 15-1 in MMA and 4-1 in the UFC, has finished four straight opponents in the opening round with heel hooks, starting with Junior Tafa and continuing against Don'Tale Mayes, Kennedy Nzechukwu, and Louie Sutherland. Next, he is scheduled to face Thomas Petersen at UFC Fight Night 282 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.
"Before, I did that in the gym, but when you do that in UFC, the first time, this give me a lot of confidence in myself, in this skill," Walker said, adding, "I started training this one more in the gym, and believe more – and when I do more in the fighting, I believe more in myself, you know? This give me a lot of confidence in this move. I started it from everywhere."
Walker pointed to the uniqueness of his run at heavyweight, saying, "You know, people talk (like) it's the first time – yeah, it's the first time in heavyweight do that," and openly invoked Rousey’s famed submission streak: "If you come back long time, you see Ronda Rousey. She made eight armlocks in a row and became a champion. Why not me? Why I cannot do the same?"
Reflecting on his last outing, Walker recalled his coach telling him, "Hey, try. Try do this again." He said, "I try, and it happens. If Ronda Rousey make this eight times, why I cannot do this too? Maybe six, seven times. I'll try."
