Alex Pereira says Valter Walker ran, offers his purse for sparring
The former champion will pay for the trip and match the last fight purse of the leg lock specialist who trains with his next opponent, Sergei Pavlovich.
Alex Pereira turned up the heat on fellow Brazilian Valter Walker. In an interview with journalist Laerte Viana, released Monday (Oct. 12) on Viana’s YouTube channel, the former UFC champion said he invited Walker to train with him and Walker ran. He then made a public offer: pay for Walker’s trip from Russia, where he trains, to Las Vegas, and if the leg lock specialist beats him in a sparring session, hand him the equivalent of his last fight purse. The feud ties directly into Pereira’s next fight, against Russian heavyweight Sergei Pavlovich, Walker’s training partner.
Pereira’s message
“I invited him to train with me and he ran off,” Pereira said. “I heard he was scared. He said he wasn’t a punching bag.” In Pereira’s view, Walker’s public comments have another goal: “He got scared, and now he wants to hype up something he knows isn’t going to happen.”
The offer came with details. “I’m not kidding. Whenever he wants,” Pereira said. “Let’s go to Las Vegas. I’ll fly him in from Russia, put him in first class.” Then he pointed straight at Walker’s weapon: “We’ll spar. If he beats me, if he catches my foot, I’ll pay him the amount of his last fight purse.” No dollar figure was given.
Why the foot matters
Walker is 28, was born in Rio de Janeiro, is ranked No. 11 at heavyweight and holds a 16-1 pro record. His nickname, “The Foot Hunter,” is well earned: he has won his last five UFC fights by submission, all in the first round, four by heel hook and one by calf slicer. The most recent came on July 25 in Abu Dhabi, when he tapped Thomas Petersen at 1:32.
He trains at Gor MMA in Russia alongside Pavlovich. Back in July, in another interview with Viana reported by Sherdog, Walker had already picked against his countryman. “Sergei is a heavyweight built like a tank,” he said. “In my opinion, Pavlovich would run right through him. That’s exactly what he does here in the gym.”
From defender to rival
The rivalry has an odd twist. In August, after his win in Abu Dhabi, Walker stood up for Pereira and took aim at referee Herb Dean, who worked Pereira’s loss to Ciryl Gane. “I want to fight Herb Dean next,” he said, according to Brazilian outlet Lance. Around the same time, on his Walker TV show, he said he would fight Pereira, but only if Pereira lost his next bout.
In early October, the tone changed. “I’d like to fight Alex. Why not?” Walker told Viana, according to Brazilian site Super Lutas. “It’s a good fight for me too, because it would make me even more famous.” That comment is what set Pereira off.
The story added another chapter on Tuesday (Oct. 13). According to Super Lutas, Walker’s coach, known as Gor, accepted the offer in an Instagram post and asked for the location and the tickets. Pereira fired back with a sarcastic comment, suggesting the coach was more interested in sightseeing than in the training session.
What is at stake
Pereira, who is 13-4, made his heavyweight debut on June 14 at UFC Freedom 250, the event held at the White House, and lost to Gane by second round TKO in a fight for the interim title. He returns against Pavlovich at UFC 335 on Dec. 12 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Gane, now the lineal champion, defends the belt against Josh Hokit at UFC 334 on Nov. 14 at Madison Square Garden in New York.
In the same interview with Viana, Pereira also accused the UFC of manipulating public opinion to set up the Gane vs. Hokit title fight. VF Comunica covered that story here.
Do you think Valter Walker could catch Alex Pereira’s foot in a sparring session? Let us know in the comments.
