Ask any old lion in the sport of MMA and they’ll tell you they wish they had known what they know now back when they were younger.
The same could be said of Canadian fighter, Victor Valimaki.
Being from a military family, Valimaki moved across Canada, never finding a place to settle in. When asked if his upbringing influenced him getting into the sport of MMA, the Canadian fighter credits it as being part of his initial curiosity.
“I moved all across Canada but it’s not like I didn’t have friends. I just liked the individual sports better so that’s probably why I got into the sport,” said Valimaki.
Relying on himself, Valimaki made it to the grandest stage of the sport at just 23. As with any younger fighter, the physical talents couldn’t help overshadow the lack of mental ability.
In an exclusive with Bleacher Report MMA, Valimaki explained how much he’s grown as a fighter since his early years.
“I wasn’t ready when I made it to the UFC,” said Valimaki.
Prior to stepping foot inside the Octagon, Valimaki had quite the up and down trip to the ultimate stage.
After going 3-2 to start his career, Valimaki disappeared from the sport for three years.
“I went back to school and had my first daughter. I also had a knee injury and couldn’t train like I wanted to,” said Valimaki.
Instead of getting a “gimme fight” in his return to MMA, he faced off against MMA legend Dan Severn on short notice no less. Although squaring off against a legend in the sport left him in awe, Valimkai explained how he moved past it.
“You know standing across the cage from someone like him, you just have to get in there and once you hit him in the face once you realize he’s a human being just like you,” said Valimaki.
Using the Severn win to gain momentum, Valimaki rattled off five straight wins, including victories over notable fighters like Jason Day and Vernon “Tiger” White.
A UFC career simply wasn’t in the cards for Valimaki at the time.
The Canadian made an unsuccessful UFC debut, losing by split decision to David Heath but returned after picking up a win in the MFC promotion. Valimaki earned a shot at redemption and faced off against Italian boxer, Alessio Sakara.
“That fight him (Sakara); I lost it before I even stepped foot into the cage,” said Valimaki.
After being sent back to the regional circuit, Valimaki struggled and lost back-to-back fights for the first time in his career.
Valimaki turned the corner and won seven-straight fights with only one going to a decision. His run of success was cut short by a pair of matches against Martin Desilets.
The first meeting with them was filled with controversy as Desilets landed multiple low blows, some that were included in the fight ending flurry. When Valimaki asked referee Yves Lavigne for his time out, Lavigne instead called for the fight to be over.
Although Valimaki acknowledges he lost the rematch fair and square, he’s not ready to give up on another fight with Desilets.
“If there’s one fight I could do again it would definitely be that one,” said Valimaki.
I asked him if there was some sort of rivalry with Desilets and Valimaki acknowledged the two don’t get along.
“I’m not the only one he’s had issues with. He’s just a cocky guy. I’d love to get in there and smash his f—— head into the mat,” said Valimaki.
Being focused on fixing his mistakes from his career seems to be the main motivation for Valimaki as he’s lost three straight bouts.
He will have the opportunity to right the wrongs when he takes on Tim Chemelli (8-1) at the AMMA event on February 11th.
“We’ve known each other for a while and he’s a pretty decent fighter, but he’s not on the same skill level as me. I’m going to go in there and show him what a real fight is,” said Valimaki.
It will be Valimaki’s first fight in over a year as the fighter is moving past some personal demons and returning from completely destroying his shoulder in an injury. Most fighters would tap out after three straight losses and those kinds of issues, but Valimaki refuses to go quietly.
“I know I’m better than that.” Valimaki continues, “I feel better than ever. I’m only 30 years old and I feel like I’m the best fighter I’ve ever been. I’m definitely looking to make it back to the UFC.”
His prior history certainly shows that he’s better than what he looked like in 2010 and with new-found confidence in his abilities; Valimaki certainly seems to be on the right path to proving to us just how good he really is.
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