Valter Walker: Shara Bullet pulled my hair in training sessions

Valter Walker has gone public with allegations that Sharabutdin Magomedov pulled his hair during training at their shared Russian gym, forcing Walker to shave his head.

Speaking to Brazilian channel Sexto Round after Magomedov's foul-filled bout against Michel Pereira at UFC Baku, the heavyweight said the incidents happened repeatedly when the pair trained together at GOR MMA. "Women are the ones who should have long hair; at GOR MMA, everyone is bald for a reason," Walker said, per Sherdog. "When I had long hair, every time I trained with Shara, he would pull my hair and knee me in the face while holding onto it."

Walker says gym culture enabled Magomedov fouls

Walker claimed that when he raised the issue with coach Gor Azizyan, the response was approval rather than correction. "I'd tell Coach Gor, and he'd applaud Shara—mostly because Shara is his favorite son," Walker told the outlet. He added that the hair-pulling was one reason he eventually shaved his head completely.

The Brazilian also addressed Magomedov's eye poke on Pereira, offering a tongue-in-cheek theory. "Shara is missing an eye; I think he sticks his fingers in people's eyes because he wants to blind them," he said. Walker acknowledged the gym's approach to rule-bending, saying Azizyan taught that "the shame of war is losing the war" and that "in war, anything goes."

Walker said he feels limited in how much he can speak up given his minority status as a Brazilian at the Russian facility. "These Russians are crazy; I'm in the minority here, so if I talk too much, the guys might cut me," he said. Magomedov is scheduled to return to action later this year.

Reported via:

• Sherdog — Valter Walker says Shara ‘Bullet’ repeatedly pulled hair during training