Valter Walker had himself a weekend to remember. A day after trotting out to UFC 321’s ceremonial weigh-ins wearing a severed foot necklace, Walker kept his unprecedented streak alive, ending Saturday’s heavyweight contest against Louie Sutherland in just 84 seconds with yet another heel hook submission — his fourth straight.
To put into proper context the absurdity of what Walker is doing right now, the all-time mark for most heel hook submissions in UFC history is four, held by notorious leg-lock master Rousimar Palhares, who needed 12 UFC bouts across five years to achieve such a feat. Walker has done it in 14 months.
Saturday’s latest was seemingly as effortless for the trilingual Brazilian as any of his other three. Walker (15-1), the younger brother of UFC light heavyweight contender Johnny Walker, ducked under an early right hand from Sutherland (10-4), drove hard into a double-leg takedown, then immediately secured the finish as Sutherland tried to roll out and escape. Sutherland had never previously lost by submission.
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“When you roll, it’s more easy for me to take,” an elated Walker said afterward in an unhinged post-fight interview. He then called out Egyptian heavyweight Hamdy Abdelwahab, who ground out a decision win over Chris Barnett earlier on the UFC 321 prelims.
“I want Hamdy. November [at UFC Qatar]. Let’s go,” Walker proclaimed. “You take down this Peppa Pig, chocolate Peppa Pig — he doesn’t have wrestling. Let’s go, show me that wrestling. I’m here.”
Abdelwahab, speaking backstage with reporters at his post-fight press conference, promptly accepted.
