
Valter Walker ready for nickname change after UFC Nashville: 'I'm the Foot Hunter'
"I'm the real foot hunter of this division."Valter Walker locks up his third straight win by heel hook and has a message for the rest of the @UFC heavyweight divisionPrelim Results ➡️ https://t.co/OmPhy8Akxk
Valter Walker met the media Saturday after his first-round submission win over Kennedy Nzechukwu at UFC on ESPN 70.
Walker (14-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) made history when he forced Nzechukwu (14-6 MMA, 8-6 UFC) to tap less than a minute into their heavyweight fight with a slickly applied heel hook on the prelims at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn. It was his third straight heel hook finish – which never has been done in the UFC.
Now Walker, whose brother if UFC fighter Johnny Walker, thinks the heavyweight division is on notice – and he might just need a new nickname.
"I'm the foot hunter. I told my coach if I take one more foot, I'll need to change my nickname," Walker told UFC.com after his win. "'The Clean Monster' is respect for my coach because he gave me this nickname. But now, sorry coach: I'm the real 'Foot Hunter.' In this division, I'm the real foot hunter."
Check out Walker's post-fight interview in the video below.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


USA Today
2 minutes ago
- USA Today
Calvin Kattar issues statement on UFC Nashville loss after breaking foot early
A post shared by calvinkattar (@calvinkattar) Calvin Kattar had to battle through some early adversity at UFC on ESPN 70. Kattar (23-9 MMA, 7-7 UFC) lost a unanimous decision to Steve Garcia (17-5 MMA, 6-2 UFC) in their featherweight bout this past Saturday at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn. Once on the cusp of title contention, Kattar now has lost five fights in a row. The 37-year-old took to Instagram to open up on the loss, revealing that he injured his foot badly in Round 1. "Thankful for my family, team and those that came out or tuned in to the fight," Kattar wrote. "Pushed through a lot just to get to the fight and even more when it started. Broke my foot in the first round in two places but content that I was able to make it through to the end even though came up short. Congrats to my opponent on top 15, well earned. Time for some recovery." Kattar hasn't won a fight since defeating Giga Chikadze in the UFC on ESPN 32 main event in January 2022. He holds notable wins over Dan Ige, Jeremy Stephens and Ricardo Lamas.


USA Today
2 minutes ago
- USA Today
Former Nebraska offensive lineman named best-ever No. 74 draft pick in NFL history
A former Nebraska offensive lineman has been named the greatest draft pick at his draft slot. ESPN's Ben Solak selected Will Shields as the greatest No. 74 draft pick in NFL history. Shields played for the Cornhuskers from 1989 to 1992. He was a two-time All-American and the 1992 Outland Trophy winner. He was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs with the No. 74 pick in the 1993 NFL draft. He would play for the Chiefs for his entire career. During that time, he was a seven-time All-Pro and a 12-time Pro Bowler. He was also the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year in 2003. "But Shields, who never missed a game in 14 years for the Chiefs, cleared them both -- 224 games, 223 starts, never inactive. He made every Pro Bowl from 1995 to 2006." Shields is one of three Hall of Famers drafted with the No. 74 pick. Running back Curtis Martin and tight end Charlie Sanders were also taken with the No. 74 pick. Contact/Follow us @CornhuskersWire on X (formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Nebraska news, notes, and opinions.


Forbes
3 minutes ago
- Forbes
UFC 318 Co-Main Event Odds, Picks And Predictions: Costa Vs. Kopylov
NEWARK, NEW JERSEY - MAY 31: Paulo Costa of Brazil poses on the scale during the UFC 302 official ... More weigh-in at the Westin Jersey City Newport on May 31, 2024 in Jersey City, New Jersey. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images) A middleweight matchup between one fighter looking to end a two-fight losing skid and another competitor hoping to extend a two-fight winning streak serves as the co-main event of Saturday's UFC 318 pay-per-view fight card. In that contest, the No. 13-ranked Paulo Costa meets the No. 14-ranked Roman Kopylov. We preview Costa vs. Kopylov, the penultimate bout on the UFC 318 PPV fight card. UFC 318 features a trilogy bout in the main event, as Max Holloway and Dustin Poirier meet in the PPV headliner. Holloway's symbolic BMF title is on the line. Meanwhile, the fight is expected to be Poirier's retirement bout. UFC 318 takes place on Saturday, July 19, at Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana. The UFC 318 main card streams on ESPN+ pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on ESPN+. UFC 318 Co-Main Event Preview: Costa Vs. Kopylov NEWARK, NEW JERSEY - JUNE 01: Paulo Costa of Brazil prepares to face Sean Strickland in a ... More middleweight fight during the UFC 302 event at Prudential Center on June 01, 2024 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images) Paulo Costa (14-4) was 8-0 and coming off a defense of the Jungle Fight middleweight title when he joined the UFC in 2017. He opened his run with the promotion with four knockouts and one decision. That decision, an August 2019 win over Yoel Romero, earned Costa a shot at Adesanya in September 2020. Adesanya retained his title in that fight, knocking out Costa in the second round. Costa has not been an active competitor in the UFC. Between 2018 and 2022 he stepped into the Octagon once per year. He did not compete at all in 2023. In 2024, Costa went 0-2, losing a unanimous decision to former UFC middleweight champ Robert Whittaker in February and then dropping a split decision to ex-UFC 185 kingpin Sean Strickland in June. Costa has not competed since his loss to Strickland at UFC 302. Costa is 1-4 in his past five UFC outings. His only win during that stretch, which began with the Adesanya loss, was a August 2022 decision win over former UFC middleweight titleholder Luke Rockhold. LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JANUARY 11: Roman Kopylov of Russia reacts after a TKO victory against Chris ... More Curtis in a middleweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on January 11, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images) A former Fight Nights Global middleweight champ, Roman Kopylov (14-3) joined the UFC in 2019 with an 8-0 record. Kopylov had seven straight knockout wins heading into his UFC debut, a fight he lost to Karl Roberson via submission. COVID-19 and visa issues kept Kopylov out of action until October 2021. When he returned to the Octagon, Kopylov dropped a decision to Albert Duraev. Kopylov seemed to find his footing after those back-to-back losses. Between September 2022 and September 2023, he went 4-0 with four knockout wins. That winning streak did not earn Kopylov a spot inside the top 15 of the UFC's middleweight division, but it did get him booked opposite the No. 15 ranked Anthony Hernandez at UFC 298 in February. Hernandez won that fight via second-round submission. Kopylov came back from that defeat to beat César Almeida at UFC 302. In his most recent outing, Kopylov stopped Chris Curtis via head kick, in a 'Fight of the Night' affair on A UFC Fight Night card in January 2025. UFC 318 Co-Main Event Betting Lines And Movement: Costa Vs. Kopylov When the betting lines opened for this fight, Kopylov was the -300 betting favorite over the +250 Costa. The line has shifted. Today, Kopylov is listed at -224, while Costa checks in at +189. UFC 318 Co-Main Event Tale Of The Tape: Costa Vs. Kopylov Age: 34 Height: 6'1' Reach: 82' Stance: Orthodox Age: 34 Height: 6'0' Reach: 75' Stance: Southpaw UFC 318 Co-Main Event Predictions And Picks: Costa Vs. Kopylov Paulo Costa is a well-rounded fighter. However, he doesn't often use his complete skill set. Instead, he looks to engage in striking wars, landing an average of 6.22 significant strikes per minute, while absorbing 6.56 strikes per minute, which is not a great sign against a kickboxer like Kopylov. If Costa looks to get the fight to the mat, he has a chance to pick up the win on Saturday, but he has not earned a takedown since he defeated Yoel Romero by decision in 2019. Costa is a resilient fighter, so it's likely this one goes the distance, but look for the better striker, which is Kopylov, to win the decision. UFC 318 Pay-Per-View Card: Holloway Vs. Poirier 3 Max Holloway vs. Dustin Poirier - Lightweight - For Holloway's BMF title Paulo Costa vs. Roman Kopylov - Middleweight Kevin Holland vs. Daniel Rodriguez - Welterweight Dan Ige vs. Patricio 'Pitbull' Freire - Featherweight Michael Johnson vs. Daniel Zellhuber - Lightweight UFC 318 Preliminary Fight Card: Holloway Vs. Poirier 3 Kyler Phillips vs. Vinicius Oliveira - Bantamweight Marvin Vettori vs. Brendan Allen - Middleweight Francisco Prado vs. Nikolay Veretennikov - Welterweight Ateba Gautier vs. Robert Valentin - Middleweight UFC 318 Early Prelims Fight Card: Holloway Vs. Poirier 3 Adam Fugitt vs. Islam Dulatov - Welterweight Jimmy Crute vs. Marcin Prachnio - Light Heavyweight Ryan Spann vs. Lukasz Brzeski - Heavyweight Brunno Ferreira vs. Jackson McVey - Middleweight Carli Judice vs. Nicolle Caliari - Women's Flyweight We will have more on the UFC 318 co-main event, Costa vs. Kopylov, as fight night nears, as well as live results, reactions, highlights and more for the UFC 318 pay-per-view card on fight night.