The first of two heavyweight fights at UFC 305 in Perth, Australia had Junior Tafa paired up with Valter Walker.
As chance would have it, both were fighting siblings, with Justin Tafa and Johnny Walker also competing under the UFC banner. Not that it mattered, but family ties would come into things a bit later.
The heavy leather was flying early in the fight, with Tafa letting his hands go. That got the crowd in it, but Walker weathered the storm. Moments later, he had a body lock, putting his weight on Tafa to get him to his knees. Tafa however was soon back up, though Walker was still on him, landing a takedown moments later despite a Tafa fence grab.
This time, Walker got an extended period in top position, settling into guard and looking to land some ground n’ pound. Tafa, meanwhile, was nowhere near the fence, and nowhere near being able to scramble out. After catching Tafa in a heel hook, Walker was in a good spot, and Junior proceeded to scream – bringing in the ref to wave it off, with a scream being considered a verbal submission.
Fans didn’t love it, and the UFC broadcast seemed to forget to the rule, resulting in a lot of confusion on the broadcast. There’s little question, however, that Valter Walker had the win.
Junior Tafa appeared to take umbrage with the stoppage, and briefly tried to get at Walker after the fight, slapping him, until cooler heads prevailed. Walker then called for a fight with Tafa’s brother Justin, saying he was unhappy that Junior had targeted his own brother, Johnny Walker, for a future light heavyweight fight.
Official Result: Valter Walker def. Junior Tafa by technical submission (heel hook), Round 1, 4:56
