One UFC fighter scheduled to compete in his home country broke down after his opponent dropped out.
UFC Rio is in the history books and ended when Charles Oliveira submitted Mateusz Gamrot. The co-headliner saw former UFC flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo earn a split decision victory over Montel Jackson.
A heavyweight match was scheduled for the card, which did not materialize. Valter Walker would face Mohammed Usman. Ultimately, Usman was removed and Walker was left without an opponent.
Walker showed up to the weigh-ins despite the fact he would not be competing at the Farmasi Arena. He tipped the scales at 246 pounds and made it clear during the weigh-ins that he wasn’t too happy with Usman (via MANAHIA).
“I trained a lot for this fight, and this mom ran,” Walker said. “Look at my form for the heavyweight division!”
After heading backstage, Walker cried about having his UFC Rio dream taken away from him.
Have you seen Valter Walker cry because he’s not going to fight? was crazy about golf pic.twitter.com/GwJhtbbmQx
– Often (@TudonPecino) October 10, 2025
It’s a tough break for Walker, who has been on a roll lately. He has put together a three-fight winning streak with first-round finishes of Justin Tafa, Don’Tale Mayes and Kennedy Nzechukwu. To date, Walker has only suffered one professional MMA loss and that was in his UFC debut in April 2024. His professional MMA record stands at 14-1.
Now that he’s done his part by bulking up, it will be interesting to see if the UFC brass can find a spot for Walker on a card before the end of 2025. Walker’s last fight took place in July.
While there is no guarantee that Walker will get another chance to fight on a future UFC Rio card, he would certainly increase his chances by continuing his winning ways. Only time will tell when Walker will get the chance to step into the Octagon again.
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