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Valter Walker

Valter Ignacio (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 March 31, 2026, he is #15 in the UFC heavyweight rankings.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Walker moved to Moscow in 2018 to focus on training and began competing in mixed martial arts professionally in 2020. 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. 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.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

On June 14, 2023, it was reported that Walker had signed with the UFC, and was scheduled to face Jake Collier on September 23 at . However, Walker later withdrew from the bout for unknown reasons and was replaced by Mohammed Usman.

In his UFC debut, Walker faced Łukasz Brzeski on April 6, 2024, at . He lost the fight by unanimous decision, marking his first loss in MMA.

Walker faced Junior Tafa on August 17, 2024, at UFC 305. He won the fight by submission in the first round after Tafa screamed in pain due to a heel hook.

Walker faced Don'Tale Mayes on Februar 15, 2025, at . He won the fight via heel hook submission in the first round.

Walker faced Kennedy Nzechukwu on July 12, 2025, at . 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. The win earned him his first Performance of the Night bonus.

Walker was scheduled to face Mohammed Usman on October 11, 2025 at . 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. 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. The win earned him the Performance of the Night bonus.

Walker was scheduled to face Marcin Tybura on March 28, 2026 at UFC Fight Night 271. However, Walker withdrew due to a foot fracture.

Submission grappling career

Walker faced Zion Clark in an openweight submission grappling match at Karate Combat 59 on February 13, 2026. Walker won the match by submission with a rear-naked choke.

Championships and accomplishments

Personal life

Walker is the younger half-brother of Johnny Walker, a fellow UFC fighter who competes in the light heavyweight division.

He resides in Moscow, Russia, since 2018 and has a permanent residency permit.

Mixed martial arts record

|- |Win |align=center|15–1 |Louie Sutherland |Submission (heel hook) |UFC 321 | |align=center|1 |align=center|1:24 |Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates | |- |Win |align=center|14–1 |Kennedy Nzechukwu |Submission (inverted heel hook) | | |align=center|1 |align=center|0:54 |Nashville, Tennessee, United States | |- |Win |align=center|13–1 |Don'Tale Mayes |Submission (heel hook) | | |align=center|1 |align=center|1:17 |Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |- |Win |align=center|12–1 |Junior Tafa |Submission (heel hook) |UFC 305 | |align=center|1 |align=center|4:56 |Perth, Australia | |- |Loss |align=center|11–1 |Łukasz Brzeski |Decision (unanimous) | | |align=center|3 |align=center|5:00 |Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |- |Win |align=center|11–0 |Alex Nicholson |TKO (retirement) |Titan FC 82 / SBC 47 | |align=center|4 |align=center|0:50 |Novi Sad, Serbia | |- |Win |align=center|10–0 |Cássio Barbosa de Oliveira |KO (punches) |MMA Series 67 | |align=center|2 |align=center|1:47 |Moscow, Russia | |- |Win |align=center|9–0 |Ramadan Mohammed Suleiman |TKO (punches) |MMA Series 64 | |align=center|1 |align=center|2:27 |Hurghada, Egypt | |- |Win |align=center|8–0 |Bunyod Akulov |TKO (punches) |MMA Series 60 | |align=center|2 |align=center|2:52 |Moscow, Russia | |- |Win |align=center|7–0 |Ruslan Medzhidov |Decision (unanimous) |MMA Series 57 | |align=center|3 |align=center|5:00 |Moscow, Russia | |- |Win |align=center|6–0 |Andrey Zhukovsky |Decision (unanimous) |MMA Series 54 | |align=center|3 |align=center|5:00 |Moscow, Russia | |- |Win |align=center|5–0 |Wagner Maia |Decision (split) |Arena Global 16 | |align=center|5 |align=center|5:00 |Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | |- |Win |align=center|4–0 |Aybek Kobenov |Decision (unanimous) |MMA Series 47 | |align=center|3 |align=center|5:00 |Moscow, Russia | |- |Win |align=center|3–0 |Denis Kazakov |TKO (retirement) |GOR MMA: Ignacio vs. Kazakov | |align=center|1 |align=center|4:50 |Moscow, Russia | |- |Win |align=center|2–0 |Curtis Saha Touyem |Submission (rear-naked choke) |FMR FC: Selection 5 | |align=center|1 |align=center|1:06 |Moscow, Russia | |- |Win |align=center|1–0 |Dmitriy Plyukhov |TKO (punches) |Studsport: St. George Cup 5 | |align=center|2 |align=center|2:46 |Moscow, Russia |

See also

References

External links