The UFC returns to Shanghai, China, for the first time since 2017 with a Fight Night event this weekend that has title implications in multiple divisions.
Rising 205-pound Chinese star Zhang Mingyang gets his first UFC main event spot and will have the support of the home crowd at Shanghai Indoor Stadium City when he faces Johnny Walker in light-heavyweight action.
The 27-year-old if off to a blazing start in his UFC career, boasting a 3-0 record with three first-round knockouts.
Zhang has come into his own since a pedestrian 7-5 start to his professional career. Known for his powerful boxing, Zhang has finished all 19 of his pro wins with 13 coming by knockout or TKO and he has won 12 in a row overall, all by first-round KO/TKO over the past five years.
He put UFC veteran Tuco Tokkos to sleep on Road to UFC in 2022 to earn a shot in the big show and has since made quick work of Brendson Ribeiro, Ozzy Diaz and one-time UFC title challenger Anthony Smith.
While the level of competition he faced prior to 2022 leaves much to be desired, Zhang has looked impressive over the past few years.
The light-heavyweight division is always looking for fresh contenders, and Zhang’s current trajectory is promising.
He’ll have to deal with the veteran savvy of Walker and pass that test to keep rising up the rankings. Walker and Zhang are the No. 13- and No. 14-ranked contenders, respectively, in the 205-pound division heading into their clash.
Walker has not gotten his hand raised since 2023 and is winless in his past three, albeit two of those fights were against current champion Magomed Ankalaev.
The 33-year-old from Brazil has consistently faced high-level competition from the moment he debuted in the UFC in 2018 with a first-round knockout of Khalil Rountree Jr.
Only three of Walker’s 14 UFC appearances gone the distance, so it’s usually finish or be finished for Walker.
Oddsmaker have Zhang winning by KO/TKO as the most likely method of victory, with four of Walker’s six UFC losses coming via knockout, including his most recent outing against Volkan Oezdemir 14 months ago.
Although it’s not featured as the headliner, perhaps the most consequential matchup on the card is the featherweight co-main event between Brian Ortega and Aljamain Sterling, which has been scheduled for five rounds instead of three.
Ortega is a two-time title challenger in the 145-pound division, while Sterling is a former 135-pound champion who has looked solid since moving up in weight.
Both fighters are stepping into the cage for the first time in 2025; each went 1-1 in 2024 and are coming off unanimous decision losses.
Ortega, 34, submitted Yair Rodriguez at the beginning of last year but lost to Diego Lopes at the Sphere in Las Vegas in September. He is just 2-4 overall since 2018 but is still the No. 5-ranked contender in the featherweight division.
Sterling, 36, dominated Calvin Kattar at UFC 300 in his return to featherweight following his title loss to Sean O’Malley the year prior. His most recent outing was a competitive decision loss to current No. 1 contender Movsar Evloev this past December.
Ortega and Sterling are two of the best grapplers on the UFC roster, let alone at 145 pounds, yet ironically they have both suggested this matchup could feature plenty of striking if there ends up being a stalemate in the grappling department.
The featherweight division is pretty wide open at the moment, with Alexander Volkanovski back at the top after former champ Ilia Topuria moved on to the lightweight division.
Evloev is currently sidelined with an injury and Lerone Murphy seems to have jumped to the front of the line thanks to his spectacular win over Aaron Pico at UFC 319, but the winner of Ortega vs. Sterling will be cemented in the top five and firmly “in the conversation,” so to speak.
Also at UFC Shanghai, Waldo Cortes-Acosta will be looking to enter the upper echelon of the heavyweight division when he faces feared knockout artist Sergei Pavlovich.
Cortes-Acosta has won five in a row and is already 2-0 in 2025 coming off a knockout of Ryan Spann and a decision over Serghei Spivac. The 33-year-old from the Dominican Republic is 14-1 in MMA and is currently ranked No. 6 in the division.
Pavlovich sits at No. 3 and got back in the win column earlier this year by defeating Jairzinho Rozenstruik in February. The 33-year-old from Russia has gone the distance in two consecutive bouts after a stretch of nine straight fights that ended in the opening round.
In preliminary action, undefeated up-and-comer Lone’er Kavanagh goes up against proven veteran Charles Johnson in what should be a fun flyweight contest. Kavanagh has been touted as a future title challenger, while Johnson is the only fighter to beat current top contender Joshua Van in the UFC.
Kyle Daukaus is returning to the UFC for the first time since 2022. He is set to take on Michel Pereira in a middleweight bout. Daukaus previously had a 2.5-year run in the UFC, during which he went 2-4 with one no-contest. The 32-year-old from Philadelphia was released following back-to-back knockout losses to Roman Dolidze and Eryk Anders, but has since won four consecutive fights and became the Cage Fury FC 185-pound champion.
Pereira will be looking to get back to his winning ways and snap a two-fight skid. Prior to his consecutive losses to Anthony Hernandez in October 2024 and Abus Magomedov four months ago, the 31-year-old from Brazil had won eight in a row in the UFC.
Below is the projected bout order for UFC Shanghai:
— Johnny Walker vs. Zhang Mingyang
— Brian Ortega vs. Aljamain Sterling
— Sergei Pavlovich vs. Waldo Cortes-Acosta
— Su Mudaerji vs. Kevin Borjas
— Taiyilake Nueraji vs. Kiefer Crosbie
— Maheshate Hayisaer vs. Gauge Young
— Lone’er Kavanagh vs. Charles Johnson
— Rong Zhu vs. Austin Hubbard
— Michel Pereira vs. Kyle Daukaus
— Yi Zha vs. Westin Wilson
— Xiao Long vs. You Su-young
— Uran Satybaldiev vs. Diyar Nurgozhay
