Walker surprises Zhang with KO in Shanghai: UFC Fight Night

Johnny Walker scored a surprising victory over Zhang Mingyang in the main event of UFC Fight Night in Shanghai, China.

Walker Surprises with a KO in the Second Round

In the first UFC event in China in six years, Walker, after a streak of two knockout losses, achieved an impressive technical knockout (TKO) in the second round against the Chinese light heavyweight. The 33-year-old Brazilian fighter ended a 12-fight winning streak for Zhang, who hadn’t lost an MMA fight since 2019 and hadn’t seen a second round since 2018.

In the image, the moment Johnny Walker celebrates his TKO victory in the second round against Zhang Mingyang is appreciated.

My kick is incredible, right?

Johnny Walker

Zhang dominated the first round, connecting significant blows and putting Walker on the defensive. However, Walker changed his strategy in the second round, focusing on calf kicks. A precise kick affected Zhang, followed by a second that knocked him down. Walker (22-9, 1 NC) took advantage to finish the fight with ground strikes at 2:37 of the second round. Walker also addressed the crowd in Chinese and showed respect for Zhang (19-7).

A tough fighter from China, with many consecutive victories. It’s a great experience to fight someone so tough. I am resilient. I took some hits today and kept going, and then I got it. This is MMA. Amazing, right?

Johnny Walker

Walker is ranked number 13 in the official UFC rankings, while Zhang is one place below.

Aljamain Sterling Defeats 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 failing to make the 146-pound division weight. Sterling (25-5), former bantamweight champion, proved to be faster than Ortega (16-5, 1 NC), who only landed 7% of his strikes in the first round. Sterling, number 9 in the ranking, achieved his second victory in his last three fights. For Ortega, it was his second consecutive defeat and the fifth in his last seven fights.

Sergei Pavlovich Wins Over Waldo Cortes-Acosta

In another featured fight, Sergei Pavlovich defeated Waldo Cortes-Acosta by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28), dominating the third round. Pavlovich has won eight of his last 10 fights.