At various points in time, Fabricio Werdum, Junior dos Santos, and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira were each considered among the best heavyweights in MMA. All of them also came from Brazil, which is very famous for its rich MMA heritage that has produced countless champions and legends.
But ever since Werdum lost the UFC heavyweight title to Stipe Miocic in 2016, the country has experienced a shortage of top-tier heavyweights. The likes of Junior Albini, Augusto Sakai, and Philipe Lins all tried but failed to fill the void, and all would depart the promotion without accomplishing much.
It would not be until Jailton Almeida moved up from 205 in 2022 that a Brazilian heavyweight would establish himself as a top-tier title threat. “Malhadinho” has since gone on a tear in his new home, winning all but one of his fights there.
He may not be the only one, however. On Saturday night at UFC Nashville, two more Brazilians scored crucial wins that could portend big things for them in a freshly revamped division.
For years, much has been said about Johnny Walker, the light heavyweight as famous for his memetic name as he is for his devastating knockouts. He has had a rough stretch lately, however, being knocked out in his last two fights, then having had to withdraw from two bookings this year because of injury.
Enter Valter Walker. After losing his debut in inauspicious fashion, “The Clean Monster” has lived up to that epithet, flawlessly finishing three straight fights by heel hook. The latest one came on Saturday against Kennedy Nzechukwu, another ex-205er who was looking to emulate Almeida.
With that streak, Walker already looks to be more promising than his elder brother. He already showcased his striking power in the regionals, and now seeing him submit opponents sends a scary message to the division. This man is only 28 years old, and he is already proving himself a threat anywhere the fight goes.
Speaking of former light heavyweights, another one was in action on Saturday. Five fights after Walker, Vitor Petrino submitted Austen Lane with a rear-naked choke. The transition to the move was smooth, as he initially had an arm-triangle before catching his opponent turning to the side too deeply to escape.
Petrino had entered the fight coming off two consecutive losses that halted his momentum 60 pounds south. At 27 years of age, however, he represents another infusion of young blood into a usually stagnant division – basically a younger Almeida. If he can maintain his momentum, “Cabuloso/Icao” may be one to watch.
Tallison Teixeira, the third Brazilian heavyweight on the Nashville card, was not as lucky, being knocked out in 35 seconds by veteran Derrick Lewis in the main event. Nevertheless, like the victors, he still has a bright future, being only 25 years of age, which is very young at 265.
It is not just them, however. Dana White’s Contenders Series returns next month, and there are a few names to watch for, like Guilherme Uriel. After a six-year search, Brazilian heavyweight MMA looks to be on the rebound in the biggest stage of them all.
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