"Starting a new chapter" - Walter Goncalves aims to hit the ground running in strawweight debut at ONE 169

Things have not gone the way of Walter Goncalves in recent times when you look at his run of results under the ONE Championship banner.

In search of a win that can turn his fortunes around, the Brazilian needed to make a big change in his career.

Fortunately for him, it was an easy call to make after identifying that he was better off competing in the strawweight Muay Thai division.

Walter Goncalves competed against some of the top names at flyweight, including the world champion, Rodtang Jitmuangnon.

Now, on his return at ONE 169, he looks to kickstart a new phase of his career by defeating Aliff Sor Dechapan at Bangkok's legendary Lumpinee Stadium on Nov. 8.

In a recent interview with ONE Championship, he spoke about turning things around and drawing motivation from this fresh start:

"My momentum may not be positive, but I am very motivated to be fighting in my weight division and starting a new chapter in my career at ONE."

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Walter Goncalves will have his work cut out for him

Walter Goncalves has faced some of the best strikers on the planet today during his time with the promotion.

The 26-year old striker has shared the ring with the likes of Rodtang Jitmuangnon and Superlek Kiatmoo9, so it's no surprise that he's had a few setbacks over the years.

However, being welcomed to his new division by a contender like Aliff is also no walk in the park for him.

It's another tough test against a competitor, who is not going to give him an easy ride just because it's his arrival in the strawweight division.

With a finish over Zakaria El Jamari last time out, Aliff showed how dangerous he can be so Goncalves is going to need to hit the ground running to return to the win column inside the Thai capital city on November 8.