Johnny Walker spoiled the homecoming of China's Zhang Mingyang.
Walker (22-9, 1 NC) scored a vicious second-round knockout to upset the rising light heavyweight star on Saturday at the Shanghai Indoor Stadium in the main event of UFC Shanghai. Zhang (19-7), who made history as the first Chinese male to ever headline a UFC event in mainland China, entered the contest riding a 12-fight win streak dating back to 2020, including a trio of first-round knockouts to kick off his UFC run. However the pressure and power of Walker ultimately proved to be too much, as the Brazilian badly hurt Zhang with calf kicks before pummeling his way to a stoppage at the 2:37 mark of Round 2.
“Training is training, fight is fight,” said an elated Walker, who'd trained with Zhang in the past. “My kick is awesome, right? Now is the definition of the title fight run. I want to see the legendary Polish power [Jan Blachowicz next].”
Known for his flashy and erratic fighting style, Walker lived true to his reputation from the opening bell, surprising Zhang by shooting for a takedown rather than reciprocating a glove touch in the bout's first few seconds.
Zhang scrambled and came out on top in that exchange, and even landed several hard punches both on the feet and on the mat in early going. Everything changed in the second round, though, as Walker gamely clawed back into the fight with a pair of calf kicks that left Zhang immediately compromised. Walker continued to pursue his damaged foe with a furious volley of unanswered punches and elbows, eventually forcing referee Marc Goddard to step in and wave off the action.
With the upset performance, Walker snaps a three-fight winless skid that included back-to-back knockout losses at the hands of now-champ Magomed Ankalaev and Volkan Oezdemir.
In the co-main event, former UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling handily defeated two-time title challenger Brian Ortega with a trio of 50-45 scorecards, putting a stamp on a rough weekend for "T-City" after Ortega looked dreadful on the scale at Friday's weigh-ins, which resulted in their featherweight contest being reworked into a 153-pound catchweight. Sterling (25-5) dominated all five rounds in a mostly standup affair, out-working a sluggish Ortega (16-5, 1 NC) to vault back into the mix of title contention.
Sterling ultimately lapped his foe by a total of 124-55 in significant strikes and even landed three takedowns in the final 10 minutes to secure his second win since departing the bantamweight division.
Afterward, "Funk Master" — who lost a controversial decision to top-ranked contender Movsar Evloev in December for his second appearance at 145 pounds — cited his own impressive résumé in the UFC and called for an opportunity to face featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski next.
“I think I’ve done enough in this game," Sterling said.
"Volkanovksi is the f*cking man but I would love an opportunity to fight for the title again.”
Check out complete UFC Shanghai results and highlights below.
Main card
Light heavyweight: Johnny Walker def. Zhang Mingyang via TKO (strikes) at 2:37 of R2 | Watch finish
153-pound catchweight: Aljamain Sterling def. Brian Ortega via unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-45)
Heavyweight: Sergei Pavlovich def. Waldo Cortes-Acosta via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Flyweight: Sumudaerji def. Kevin Borjas via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Welterweight: Taiyilake Nueraji def. Kiefer Crosbie via TKO (elbows) at 3:33 of R1 | Watch illegal knee | Watch finish
Preliminary card
Lightweight: Gauge Young def. Maheshate via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Flyweight: Charles Johnson def. Lone’er Kavanagh via KO (punch) at 4:35 of R2 | Watch finish
Lightweight: Rongzhu def. Austin Hubbard via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Middleweight: Kyle Daukaus def. Michel Pereira via KO (strikes) at :43 of R1 | Watch finish
Featherweight: Yizha def. Westin Wilson via KO (punches) at :37 of R1 | Watch finish
Bantamweight: SuYoung You def. Xiao Long via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Light heavyweight Uran Satybaldiev def. Diyar Nurgozhay via submission (Ezekiel Choke) at 2:45 of R1 | Watch finish
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