MMA brawler Valimaki in fight of his life
For nearly two decades as a mixed martial arts fighter, Victor Valimaki put his body through rigorous training, pushing it to the limit preparing for some of the toughest fights in the cage.
It’s what made him the first MMA fighter from Edmonton to compete in the UFC.
It’s what allowed him to stay in the fight game as long as he did.
But late last month, Valimaki was in another fight and it had nothing to do with the octagon.
Valimaki took part in the Bearded Bad Boys MS walk.
Why?
Because for the last six months the 36-year-old has been battling Neuromyelitis Optica — an aggressive form of multiple sclerosis.
“It was very emotional for me,” Valimaki said.
“It might seem strange to get emotional over a walk, but this has thrown my entire life for a loop. I’m still paying for the walk, but it was worth it. I had a lot of support and some good friends there to help push me.”
Valimaki focused on every step as he pushed himself to finish the two-kilometre walk. It may seem like a small feat for a former professional fighter, but it’s a giant step forward. Not that long ago, Valimaki wasn’t sure he would walk again.
“I struggle. There’s days where I have a grasp on it, and I know I’m going to fight it and there are days where I feel totally defeated,” Valimaki admitted. “I’m 36 and I have a walker and I have crutches. It’s such a terrifying experience, but I’m confident that I’m going to get a handle on it, but it’s something that I will have to fight for the rest of my life.”
Valimaki had a MMA career-record of 18-11. After a two-year hiatus he came back last September to face up-and-coming fighter Teddy Ash. Win or lose, this was going to be his last fight, but he wanted to end his carer on his own terms.
Valimaki was knocked out by Ash at the 1:28 mark of the first round. After the loss, Valimaki thought he was suffering the effects of a concussion, but after his concussionlike symptoms wouldn’t go away, he saw physicians to go through more testing. Doctors discovered his MS diagnosis.
“I had a good training camp, but something just didn’t feel right,” said Valimaki. “After the fight, my vision was really starting to go. I started getting trembles. I had no energy, and I just thought it was concussionrelated, but then my legs just gave out on me. I had no use of my legs.
“We did a timeline with the doctors and specialists and we found that this had been going on for a while. It had been sneaking up on me for months, if not longer.
“It’s still very raw and very new to me. It’s so surreal. It doesn’t feel real sometimes.”
Valimaki isn’t afraid to admit the toll his diagnosis has taken on him physically, and mentally, but he’s taking a positive approach to it.
Fighting has been a way of life for Valimaki, but now he’s in for the fight of his life. His form of MS is aggressive. He runs a high risk of relapsing. Doctors do feel they will be able to stabilize his condition and keep the symptoms under control — but he faces a long road ahead.
As a fighter, Valimaki had to overcome serious injuries — but nothing like this. Some days it takes all his energy just to walk from the kitchen to the living room with a glass of water. But he’s not giving up.
“I’m confident they’ll help me get it under control, but I’m terrified that this could spread up. I had some tingling in my hands the other day, and thankfully, it went away, but I wouldn’t know what to do if I lost use of my hands,” he said. “It’s a terrifying thing. I’ve fought so many times, and every time I stepped into that cage, I knew what to expect. But, when it comes to this, I could take a nap one day and wake up and not be able to walk. It’s like rolling the dice.”
Valimaki has been open with his MS battle on social media and he’s getting lots of support. People are reaching out to him and he has some advice to other MMA fighters.
“I was always that stubborn guy. It’s the mentality of a fighter. You don’t want to complain, but the biggest thing I’ve learned through all of this is to listen to your body and mind. Don’t go pushing it under a rock,” Valimaki said.
“I ignored some of the things I was feeling. If went in months earlier, we could’ve dealt with it before it got out of hand. If you’re training and you’re not feeling right, get it checked out.”