Walter Goncalves feels his speed and fight IQ will be the deciding factor versus Elias Mahmoudi

Things have not gone quite as planned for Walter Goncalves under the ONE Super Series spotlight. However, at ONE: Heavy Hitters, the all-action fighter is planning to snap his losing streak at the expense of Elias Mahmoudi.

The Muay Thai striker was dominated by Rodtang Jitmuangnon when the pair met for the ONE flyweight Muay Thai world title in October 2019. A year later, he went down to Japanese star Momotaro at ONE: Collision Course II.

Both defeats were a bitter pill to swallow for the Brazilian, who arrived at the promotion with a 71-win resume. However, he has analyzed his mistakes from those fights, and he plans to showcase a new version of himself on Friday, January 14.

Walter Goncalves told ONE Championship:

“I have worked on everything. I always want to improve my game, and I'm always looking to improve my punching, knee, and movement skills. My advantage in this fight is that I'm very fast and smart.”

He is well aware that being fast and smart alone will not be enough against a Muay Thai practitioner like Mahmoudi. 'The Sniper' always tries to stay one step ahead of his rival by using his spinning attacks, forward pressure, and combinations to punish his foes.

Walter Goncalves revealed in the interview that his team of coaches have prepared a special game plan for the French-Algerian striker, hoping his third attempt at victory will be successful:

“One of his strengths is his wingspan and height, and he always has a card up his sleeve. His most dangerous weapons are kicks, punches, and teep, which he does very straight. But I'm going to fit my game against him.”

---

Who is Walter Goncalves?

Walter Goncalves is a three-time Muay Thai world champion from Fortaleza, northeast of Brazil. The 23-year-old fighter started training karate as a young kid before he discovered Muay Thai - a decision which proved to be a turning point in the athlete’s life.

Upon graduating from high school, the Brazilian athlete moved to Phuket, Thailand to train at the world renowned Sitsongpeenong camp under the legendary Lumpinee and Rajadamnern Stadium Muay Thai World Champion Sagadphet.

Those lessons under the Thai icon powered him to 35 knockouts in his 77-fight professional slate, while competing in top promotions such as WPMF and Muay Xtreme. He is now back in Brazil, where he trains under head coach Anderson 'Dentao' David.