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Four Years After Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans, UFC Veteran ‘Recognizes’ Six-Year-Old Bridger Walker’s Heroic Act

Published 04/01/2024, 7:09 AM EDT

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Have you ever heard of Bridger Walker? In 2020, when Walker was about 6 years old, he went viral for his act of bravery. The then 6-year-old Walker had rescued his younger sister from a vicious dog attack. In fact, his act of heroism even earned a message from Hollywood icon and ‘Avenger,’ Robert Downey Jr. Now, 4 years after the incident, a UFC legend has stamped his seal on Walker’s bravery.

His sister was 3 years old at the time of the attack and Walker’s heroics saved her from some serious injuries, like the ones Walker was wearing in the aftermath of the incident. He had been gravely injured by the dog and received 90 stitches in total, which also covered a huge portion of his jaw. Among the many verbal accolades he received, Walker also got an honorary WBC championship belt, and UFC veteran Chael Sonnen is all for it.

Chael Sonnen tips his hat to Bridger Walker

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Chael Sonnen is still very active on the scene, analyzing contemporary happenings in the MMA world and breaking them down on his YouTube channel. In a recent wholesome turn of events, Sonnen took to his X page to repost an X post that spoke about Bridger Walker.

The three-time UFC title challenger had something to say about the WBC belt that the council conferred upon Walker. In his response, Chael Sonnen tweeted “I recognize this Title and will refer to him as such from this day forward.” And he wasn’t alone in honoring the young boy’s fighting spirit.

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Back in 2020, Marvel stars Robert Downey Jr. and ‘Captain America’ Chris Evans sent him inspirational messages. Evans even sent him his shield from the Avengers movies. “What you did was so brave, so selfless, your sister is so lucky to have you as a big brother. Your parents must be so proud of you,” Evans said in his message.

“Bridger, you’re a rockstar.” Downey Jr. said in his video note to the Wyoming native. “My name’s Robert Downey Jr., I play ‘Tony,’ that makes me an old friend of Cap’s. I heard he sent a shield your way: I’m going to do one better. You call me on your next birthday, I got something special for you . . . By the way… That’s a promise; a promise beats a shield.”

But that was not all, the world of boxing had much more in store for Walker, who became a global symbol of brotherly love and heroism.

Boxing’s gift to Bridger Walker

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Bridger Walker quickly became the center of attention for many after his heroic act went viral. He was honored by boxing sensation Floyd Mayweather for his bravery and he was even invited to watch boxing events which he gladly attended. And that’s not even the best part. WBC went on to create a whole new division named after the six-year-old!

In 2021, WBC opened the first-ever ‘Bridgerweight’ division (224 lbs) to give smaller heavyweights a chance at making a name for themselves and to lessen the inflow of heavyweight fighters. The first WBC champion of the new weight class was Oscar Rivas, to whom Walker awarded the inaugural championship belt at the 59th WBC convention. At the same event, Mayweather presented Bridger with the Teotihuacán Mini belt.

After some time, the massive scars and stitches from his body also healed leaving him looking just like his old self. And what’s more, he couldn’t have a happier younger sister who was glad to have a brother as brave as him. Here’s to more like him!

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Do you know any other stories just like Bridger Walker’s? Let us know in the comments!

Also Read: Igor Severino Begs Dana White for Another Chance – “Take Care of My Sick Family Members”

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Written by:

Prit Chauhan

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Prit Chauhan is a UFC writer at EssentiallySports. His portfolio shows him as the go-to event coverage writer at ES and his work on UFC 297 is proof of the same. As an experienced writer and a longtime MMA fan, Prit’s strong suit lies in telling the relatively unknown and more personal stories of fights and fighters.
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Edited by:

Yeswanth Praveen