In a stellar event that marked the return of the UFC to China after six years, Johnny Walker starred in a shocking technical knockout (TKO) victory over Zhang Mingyang in the main event of UFC Fight Night in Shanghai.
Walker, after a streak of two consecutive knockout losses, achieved a spectacular comeback in the second round, frustrating the celebration of Zhang Mingyang, who was performing before his home crowd.
The fight, which took place on Saturday, saw 33-year-old Walker end an impressive streak of 12 consecutive victories by Zhang, who hadn’t lost an MMA match since 2019 and hadn’t seen a second round since 2018.Johnny Walker’s TKO victory in the second round over Zhang Mingyang in the main event of UFC Fight Night in Shanghai ended Zhang Mingyang’s 12-fight winning streak.Zhang dominated the first round, connecting significant strikes and forcing Walker to retreat. However, Walker readjusted his strategy in the second round, focusing on calf kicks. A precise kick visibly affected Zhang, followed by a second that knocked him down. Walker seized the opportunity to finish the fight with ground-and-pound at 2:37 of the second round.
My kick is amazing, right?
Johnny Walker
Walker also dedicated a few words to the audience in Chinese and expressed his respect for Zhang.
A tough fighter from China, many wins in a row. It’s a very good experience to fight against a guy who is very tough. You see, I’m resilient. I took some hits to the face today and kept going, and then I got it. This is MMA. Amazing, right?
Johnny Walker
Walker, currently ranked number 13 in the official UFC rankings, defeated Zhang, who holds the next position.
Aljamain Sterling Dominates Brian Ortega
In the co-main event, Aljamain Sterling defeated Brian Ortega by unanimous decision in a catchweight bout at 153 pounds, due to Ortega’s failure to make the 146-pound division weight limit.
Sterling, former bantamweight champion, demonstrated superiority over Ortega, who only landed 7% of his strikes in the first round and was a step behind throughout the fight.
Sterling, ranked number 9, achieved his second victory in his last three fights, while Ortega suffered his second consecutive defeat.
Sergei Pavlovich Dominates Waldo Cortes-Acosta
In another featured fight, Sergei Pavlovich, number 6 in the rankings, defeated Waldo Cortes-Acosta, number 9, by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28).
Pavlovich has won eight of his last ten fights.
