Valter Walker has issued a warning to his heavyweight peers in the Ultimate Fighting Championship for when the fight hits the mat.

The Brazilian submission specialist continued his remarkable streak at UFC Abu Dhabi, forcing a tap from Thomas Petersen with a rare calf slicer in the first round. This marked only the fourth successful calf slicer in Octagon history and extended Walker's streak of sub victories to five straight.

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Valter Walker says he has an answer when opponents defend his heel hook. Walker (16-1) secured four consecutive wins via heel hooks going into UFC Abu Dhabi and added yet another leg-based submission conquest to his record with his victory over Petersen. “The Foot Hunter” later explained that the finish came after his American counterpart successfully defended the heel hook.

“If you’re ready for the heel hook, I have a variation to find a way to win the fight,” Walker said in a post-fight interview. “If the fight is on the gr…

Professional Fighters League CEO John Martin saw several fighters make a statement at PFL Washington D.C.

The PFL put on a show at CareFirst Arena in the American capital, where Thad Jean (12-0) and Ernesto Rodriguez (11-2) fought for the vacant welterweight title in the main event. Rodriguez accepted the matchup on 48 hours’ notice after Jean’s original opponent, Shamil Musaev, pulled out due to weight cut issues.

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The PFL CEO believes Shamil Musaev deserves the next title shot Jean survived a knockdown scare in the second round and pounded out an exhausted Rodriguez to earn a stoppage win in the third period. Martin appreciates Rodriguez for stepping up to save the main event, although the Cuban was originally supposed to fight Aaron McKenzie on the same card. Martin also praised Jean for accepting a sudden change of opponent and would like to see him defend his title against Musaev next.

“Let’s start with Ernesto… 48 hours ago, he was preparing …

Rizvan Kuniev bagged his second win in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, getting his hand raised at UFC Abu Dhabi, but he isn’t entirely content with his performance.

Kuniev secured a finish against Tyrell Fortune at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. The back-and-forth heavyweight clash was later awarded Fight of the Night, with both heavyweights having their moments before the third-round stoppage.

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Rizvan Kuniev reflects on mistakes after Tyrell Fortune stoppage at UFC Abu Dhabi Fortune (18-4) proved to be a solid test for the Russian, who eventually landed two back-to-back knees to prompt the referee to intervene. Despite finding a finish, Kuniev (14-3) later admitted that he expects more from himself moving forward, especially considering his championship aspirations.

“Of course I made some mistakes,” Kuniev said in a post-fight interview. “Because I rushed sometimes too fast into the fight, but we will work it out and as my coach said, I’m on top n…