FIRST THINGS FIRST
Welcome to Open Note Grappling.
Every Tuesday morning I send out a breakdown of the best combat sports action. In less than 10 minutes you'll learn how the top fighters win and anything else fighters, martial artists, and fight fans need to know.
One of the weirdest UFC records was set this weekend. Heavyweight Valter Walker beat a third person in a row by heel hook. We’re going to analyze Walker’s heel hooks, explain why they worked, and briefly touch on why leg locks still have a long way to go in MMA.
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Now let’s get into it.
What's In Today's Letter?
VALTER WALKER’S WEIRD FINISHES
Why His Heel Hooks Are Working
Valter Walker is the UFC’s latest too weird to believe character. He’s the brother of light heavyweight knockout machine, Johnny Walker, and he’s on a three fight winning streak. All are heel hooks in the first round and each one has come faster than the previous.
Before we look at Walker’s wins, let’s make sure we’re on the same page. Heel hooks hold the end of the foot, but the submission actually damages the knee.
Hall’s right leg is wrapped over his opponent’s left and stapled to the far hip. This stops Slioa’s hips from rising indefinitely and limits rotation of the thigh
Hall has trapped Slioa’s toes in his arm pit so he can lift the heel and move Slioa’s shin in the opposite direction of his thigh
The two conditions above ☝️ force the connective tissue in Slioa’s knee to tear
Hall’s hips extend through the side of Slioa’s knee to damage it
Now let’s look at Walker’s most recent heel hook win.