Julius Walker vs Rafael Cerqueira — Fight recap

Julius Walker earned a unanimous decision over Rafael Cerqueira across three rounds on August 9, 2025, with referee Mike Beltran officiating. Walker dominated the wrestling exchanges, landing six of ten takedown attempts for a 60% success rate while controlling the cage for 11:46 of total fight time.

The striking disparity was equally pronounced, as Walker connected on 44 of 62 significant strikes (70%) compared to Cerqueira's 19 of 42 (45%), including a knockdown in the fight. Walker's accuracy was particularly sharp on the body, landing nine of ten strikes there, while maintaining crisp head work with 26 of 43 head strikes landed.

Cerqueira managed minimal offense, failing to secure any takedowns and accumulating just 27 seconds of control time as Walker's wrestling and positional dominance dictated the entire bout. The decision reflected Walker's comprehensive grappling and striking superiority, positioning him as a rising contender in his weight class.