UFC Rio has lost a fight.
Two brothers of Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) headliners won’t be fighting this weekend as Mohammed Usman has withdrawn from his UFC Rio bout against Valter Walker due to an injury. Reporter Laerte Viana was first to break the news.
Walker, who is the younger brother of Light Heavyweight contender Johnny Walker, reportedly wants to stay on the card. UFC is now scrambling to find him a replacement, though it’s unclear if that will actually happen given the short notice.
Walker (14-1) has been on a tear since dropping his UFC debut last year to Lukasz Brzeski, rattling off three straight wins — all by heel hook. The streak made him the first fighter in UFC history to pull off heel hook submissions in three consecutive fights (watch highlights), and he’s now just one away from tying Rousimar Palhares’ all-time record of four. Unfortunately, if UFC can’t find him a new opponent, Walker will have to wait to chase history outside of Brazil.
Meanwhile, Usman (11-4) — the brother of former UFC Welterweight champion Kamaru Usman — has struggled to make an impact since winning The Ultimate Fighter Season 30 via knockout (watch highlights). All of his fights since then, win or lose, have gone to decision — and not the thrilling kind. He did manage to snap a two-fight skid earlier this year by defeating Hamdy Abdelwahab in a slow-paced affair.
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