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Valter Walker not scared of ‘small’ Josh Hokit, unimpressed by Gable Steveson’s UFC debut: ‘I’ll take all of them’

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Valter Walker not scared of ‘small’ Josh Hokit, unimpressed by Gable Steveson’s UFC debut: ‘I’ll take all of them’

Valter Walker isn't sold on Josh Hokit and Gable Steveson as big threats in the UFC heavyweight division.

The Brazilian talent returns to the cage Saturday at UFC Abu Dhabi, battling Thomas Petersen after scoring four straight heel hook finishes in the octagon, and told MMA Fighting he would be gladly take on either Hokit or Steveson next with a win in the U.A.E.

“I don't think he's a tough fight for me,†Walker said of Hokit. “Honestly, I don't think he's the fighter people are making him out to be. Come on, he's small. I'm not intimidated by that guy at all. Gable Steveson, Josh Hokit. People say, ‘He's a monster, an Olympic wrestling champion.' Man, I watched Gable's debut, and I wasn't that impressed. I didn't get all the hype.â€

“Same with Josh Hokit,†he continued. “Fight fans don't really understand fighting, you know? He beat Curtis Blaydes, I think that's the biggest win of his career. He beat him convincingly, sure. But I still don't know how Curtis Blaydes lost to him like that.â€

Hokit is unbeaten in the sport, and 4-0 in the UFC, with the last two victories coming against Curtis Blaydes and Derrick Lewis, while Steveson stopped Elisha Ellison in his octagon debut to improve to 4-0 as a pro.

“I'm not scared of Josh Hokit or Gable Steveson one bit,†Walker said. “If that's the next fight, bring it on. It can be Gable Steveson, Josh Hokit, Vitor Petrino. I'll take all of them. If I win this Saturday, book me against any of those guys next. I'll go right after them.â€

“I think if the two of us [Hokit and I] fought, it would have huge potential. We're talking co-main event or even main event, because of all the trash we'd talk to each other. We'd probably need security following us around. I really believe we have the potential to put on a great show for the fans.â€

Walker said he's unsure if Hokit would be willing to facing him next given his past wins over top-ranked Blaydes and Lewis during his absence to heal from a broken leg, but would be “a huge opportunity†for him.

The same goes for Steveson, who is surrounded by a hype for his past accomplishments in wrestling and the fact that he's coached by former UFC two division champion Jon Jones.

“That's how you catch a big fish, man,†Walker said of Steveson. “You go after guys with big egos, you know? That's usually how it works. I've seen it happen a lot. A guy says, ‘I'll beat that guy.' I'll use examples from my own experience. [Tallison Teixeira] used to say, ‘If I'm well prepared, I'll beat Pavlovich.' And what happened? My brother used to say, ‘I'm going to be the guy who beats Jon Jones.' I'm just using examples from my own reality, from what I've seen. Maybe Gable is thinking the same thing. ‘I'll beat this guy easily. He thinks he's going to get to my legs? I'll take him out.' That's the moment for me to make a name for myself. That's how the business works, right?â€

“Can you imagine? I beat [Steveson], climb on the cage, and spit in Jon Jones' face. Damn! People holding Jon Jones back while I'm screaming that I'm the GOAT and telling Jon Jones to go f*ck himself. All the hype would come my way. It's an opportunity. But I don't know if the guy's… Maybe he has a good manager. I know I have a good manager. But does he have one too? He probably does. If he doesn't, even better, that gives me an opportunity.â€

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Josh Hokit rips Alexander Volkov, teases move to light heavyweight

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Josh Hokit rips Alexander Volkov, teases move to light heavyweight
Josh
Hokit believes Alexander
Volkov will never get a chance to fight him.

Hokit (10-0) is scheduled to challenge Ciryl Gane
(14-2, one no contest) for the
Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight title at UFC
334 on Nov. 14 at Madison Square Garden in New York. Volkov has
criticized Hokit since the title fight was announced, and the
American has responded.

Josh Hokit says Alexander Volkov will never get his chance,
mocks heavyweight résumé

Volkov considers Hokit an easy matchup and predicts that Gane will
defeat the unbeaten contender. In response, Hokit compared their
records, noting that he defeated Derrick
Lewis and Curtis
Blaydes, both of whom beat Volkov.

“Drago†has won consecutive decisions over Jailton
Almeida and Waldo
Cortes-Acosta and is scheduled to face Rizvan
Kuniev at
UFC 333 on Oct. 24 in Abu Dhabi. Hokit added that Blaydes
defeated both Almeida and Kuniev. “The Incredible Hok†claims he
will already be dominating the light heavyweight division by the
time Volkov earns a fight with him.

“Volkov saying he'd beat me easy is funny… He'll never get the
chance,†Hokit wrote on X. “I just beat Blaydes and Lewis. Volkov
lost to BOTH. Now he's fighting Kuniev (who Blaydes beat), after
squeaking by Almeida (who Blaydes dominated). I’m going to kill
Ciryl, who he lost to twice. Zero finishes, pure boring. By the
time you earn a fight with me, I'll already be dominating LH.â€

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Colby Covington drags Daniel Cormier into ugly Jon Jones feud

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Colby Covington drags Daniel Cormier into ugly Jon Jones feud
Colby
Covington has brought Daniel
Cormier into his latest feud with Jon Jones.

Jones' protégé, Gable
Steveson, was knocked out by Sean Sharaf
in a major upset at UFC
331 in September in Los Angeles. Covington subsequently blamed
Jones' “bad energy†for Steveson's loss. Jones responded by saying
that Covington, his former college roommate, hasn't achieved even a
fraction of what he has in the
Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Colby Covington tells Gable Steveson to leave Jon Jones for
Daniel Cormier

Covington responded by citing domestic abuse allegations against
Jones. “Chaos†said Jones' professional achievements don't excuse
his alleged conduct outside the cage. The former interim
welterweight champion then suggested that Steveson train with
Daniel
Cormier, Jones' longtime rival.

“The things I say only bother you because they're true,†Covington
wrote on X. “You're a narcissistic abusive sociopath. Your
achievements inside the Octagon don't make you a better person
outside of it. Those same achievements definitely don’t give you
the right to abuse women either, Jon. At the end of the day, I feel
for Gable being in this situation… It's too bad he can't take
punches from heavyweights as well as your wife does. If Gable
really cares about advancing in his career, he should leave you and
go train with a real man like Daniel Cormier.â€

Jones and Cormier's heated rivalry has continued since their
fighting careers ended. Jones defeated Cormier in their first UFC
bout, but his knockout victory in their rematch was overturned to a
no contest after “Bones†failed a drug test. Years after retiring,
“DC†has said he has no interest in reconciling with Jones.

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Mikey Musumeci vacates UFC BJJ title to ‘prioritize my training for MMA’

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Mikey Musumeci vacates UFC BJJ title to ‘prioritize my training for MMA’

Mikey Musumeci is no longer the UFC BJJ bantamweight champion, and he vacates the belt to focus on a potential transition to mixed martial arts in the future.

A former grappling champion in ONE Championship and four-time IBJJF world champion as a black belt, Musumeci was victorious in four title matches in UFC BJJ — all by submission — before entering the bowl this past September to win a decision over UFC bantamweight Bryce Mitchell.

“I am 30 years old and have been obsessed with training MMA and want to prioritize my training for MMA,†Musumeci wrote on a statement. “I train jiu-jitsu everyday still and can come back anytime.â€

That doesn't mean Musumeci will no longer compete in grappling and in UFC BJJ. He plans on continuing to do so, but without having to defend a title and possibly stalling the weight class as he pursues a new goal in MMA.

“I will continue to do more grappling super fights with UFC BJJ, just a different style of jiu-jitsu more to get people out of our sport to watch,†Musumeci wrote. “That means more to me at the point I am in my career. I want to thank everyone that has supported me and Claudia Gadelha and Hunter for how kind they have been with me and continue to be. Excited about my next chapter. SO MANY CRAZY THINGS AHEAD.â€

The now vacant UFC BJJ bantamweight title will be up for grabs in the main event of UFC BJJ 13 on Oct. 29, when Jalen Fonacier battles Kleber Barboza.

Check Musumeci's full statement below.

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