Valter Walker talks back-and-forth with Josh Hokit, says next opponent will depend on UFC contract negotiations

Valter Walker has tempered his public rivalry with Josh Hokit following his latest dominant display in the UFC heavyweight division. After Walker submitted Thomas Petersen in under two minutes at UFC Abu Dhabi—his fifth consecutive submission finish—Hokit appeared unimpressed on social media. Walker had previously called Hokit "small" before the bout, but rather than escalate the back-and-forth, the Brazilian grappler is taking a measured approach.

Walker acknowledged that Hokit currently occupies a higher ranking and said he won't push for a matchup until both fighters' trajectories align. "He's on a higher ranking than I am right now. I'm one tier below him," Walker told MMA Fighting. "But if I win my next fight, and he loses his next one, we're going to meet. There's nowhere to run." Walker emphasized that he won't demand a fight that doesn't make business sense for the UFC, preferring to let results speak for themselves rather than build false expectations among fans.

Walker's recent submission streak, highlighted by a calf slicer finish over Petersen and four heel hook victories before that, marks an exceptional run of first-round dominance. The 28-year-old is targeting a quick turnaround, eyeing either UFC 333 on October 24 in Abu Dhabi or an unannounced November card in Qatar. However, his next opponent remains uncertain pending contract negotiations. Walker confirmed he has one fight remaining on his current deal and hopes to renegotiate terms with the promotion, tying his opponent selection to what financial offer materializes. "If it's a generous offer, great, give me a top-ranked guy," he said. "But if it's just an average offer, then it has to be an average opponent."

Regarding his signature leg attack arsenal, Walker shows no signs of diversifying his approach. He plans to continue targeting opponents' legs until someone forces him to abandon the strategy. "I'm going to keep doing what's favorable for me until someone can stop my leg attacks," Walker stated, adding that defensive failures fall on his opponent, not him.