Junior Tafa slapped Valter Walker after losing by verbal submission in August 2024, leading to Walker being relocated and flown out of Australia for safety reasons, ultimately securing his first UFC win and gaining popularity despite the incident.
Junior Tafa slapped Valter Walker’s face after losing by verbal submission in August 2024. The Brazilian fighter claimed he had to flee Australia, fearing an ambush outside the host hotel in Perth.
Walker is set to fight Don’Tale Mayes this Saturday at UFC Vegas 102. He told MMA Fighting that the promotion changed his hotel and flight plans after learning that dozens of people were allegedly waiting for him at the hotel.
Referee Steve Perceval awarded Walker a verbal submission victory when Tafa screamed in pain from a heel hook in the final seconds of round one. Feeling wronged, Tafa slapped Walker before security intervened.
“People asked why I didn’t react,” Walker shared with MMA Fighting. “I thought, f*ck, I already won. If I react here in his home country and there’s a brawl… I’m outnumbered. They might overturn it to a no-contest and fine me. I’ll stay cool.”
Walker had planned to shop in Australia for clothes not available in Russia, like Adidas. However, the UFC altered his itinerary due to safety concerns.
“When leaving the arena, they told me about 40 people waiting for me outside,” Walker explained. “I couldn’t return to the hotel. They moved me elsewhere and got me a new ticket so I left that day.”
Despite the chaos, Walker secured his first UFC win and joked, “the slap was worth it.” Now 12-1 as a professional, he rebounded from a previous loss.
“My last fight was my toughest,” Walker admitted. “I was an underdog coming off a loss, heavily criticized, booed by 20,000 people. It was kill or get killed.”
His coach advised taking Tafa down for a submission, but things didn’t go as planned. “I wanted to hurt him,” Walker confessed. “He screamed instead of tapping. I went for it.”