If you’re going to shoot a shot, make it a big one.
There’s hardly a hotter name in the promotion these days than Josh Hokit, thanks to the chatty heavyweight’s four straight UFC wins (three by finish) since a Contender Series debut and a proclivity for memorable post-fight rants.
Meanwhile, when it comes to unconventional finishes, it’s all about Valter Walker.
The 28-year-old Brazilian, younger brother of high-profile light heavyweight Johnny Walker, scored a fifth consecutive finish of his own on Saturday when he forced a tap from Thomas Petersen via calf slicer at 1:32 of Round 1.
Walker had scored each of his previous four wins—from August 2024 through October 2025—via heel hook submissions, climbing into the No. 11 position in the heavyweight rankings after a loss in his UFC debut in April 2024.
So, with Hokit just six positions ahead of him, Walker had a logical target.
“I don’t think he’s a tough fight for me,” Walker said. “Honestly, I don’t think he’s the fighter people are making him out to be. Come on, he’s small. I’m not intimidated by that guy at all. Fight fans don’t really understand fighting, you know? He beat Curtis Blaydes, I think that’s the biggest win of his career. He beat him convincingly, sure. But I still don’t know how Curtis Blaydes lost to him like that.”
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