Johnny Walker ended the winning streak of Zhang Mingyang with a TKO triumph in the light heavyweight main event of a UFC Fight Night at the Shanghai Indoor Stadium on the afternoon of Saturday 23 August 2025.
Zhang, who had racked up 12 straight wins in his professional career heading into this fight, was in control through the first round on the back of his striking and superior strength in the clinch.
However, Walker had laid the groundwork for a comeback victory with a number of calf kicks, and midway through the second round another such strike effectively cripped Zhang, who was unable to keep his feet and found himself on his back trying to defend blows raining down from above – ultimately the referee stepped in to stop the fight when it was clear that the home favourite had no way out of his position.
“I took some punches in the face today, but I was tough and kept coming. This is great, this is MMA, right?” said Walker in his post-fight interview, having also called out former champion Jan Blachowicz.
In the rest of the main card, Taiyilake Nueraji stopped Kiefer Crosbie in the first round of their welterweight opener; Su Mudaerji got the better of Kevin Borjas via unanimous decision in flyweight thriller; Sergei Pavlovich outpointed Waldo Cortes-Acosta in a heavyweight bout; and Aljamain Sterling took an emphatic unanimous decision win over Brian Ortega in a catchweight (153 lb) match.
The UFC will resume on the evening of Saturday 6 September with a Fight Night in Paris, headlined by a middleweight clash between Nassourdine Imavov and Caio Borralho.
UFC FIGHT NIGHT: WALKER VS. ZHANG – MAIN CARD RESULTS
- Main event: Light heavyweight: Johnny Walker def. Zhang Mingyang via TKO (punches), R2, 2:37
- Catchweight (153 lb): Aljamain Sterling def. Brian Ortega via unanimous decision (50-45 50-45 50-45), R5, 5:00
- Heavyweight: Sergei Pavlovich def. Waldo Cortes-Acosta via unanimous decision (30-27 39-38 39-380, R3, 5:00
- Flyweight: Su Mudaerji def. Kevin Borjas via unanimous decision (30-37 30-37 30-37), R3, 5:00
- Welterweight: Taiyilake Nueraji def. Kiefer Crosbie via TKO (elbows), R1, 3:33