No. 13-ranked Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Light Heavyweight contender, Johnny Walker, will square off against surging Chinese knockout artist, Zhang Mingyang, in the main event of UFC Shanghai this weekend (Sat., Aug. 23, 2025) inside China’s Shanghai Indoor Stadium.
So far, no one has been able to solve Zhang inside the Octagon.
“He is a big challenge for me,” Walker told reporters during UFC Shanghai media day. “He’s on a big win streak and is a powerful guy with a lot of finishes in the first round. He’s dangerous, so I must play it smart to beat him.”
If that “smart” gameplan involves grappling, though, Walker hasn’t thought about it (uh-oh).
“No. I’m a striker, and I’m going to strike with him,” Walker concluded.
Of course, the Brazilian could be keeping his cards close to the chest. Now training under Eric Nicksick at Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas — a coach known for detailed gameplans (except for Roman Dolidze) — Walker may have a trick or two in his back pocket.
Still, the timing couldn’t be tougher.
Walker enters UFC Shanghai on the third two-fight losing skid of his Octagon career, having been violently knocked out in back-to-back bouts (watch highlights). A win would stabilize his position in the rankings … but another knockout loss to the Chinese phenom could push him to the brink of irrelevance in a super crowded division.
Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Shanghai fight card, starting with the ESPN+ “Prelims” matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 3 a.m. ET, before the main card start time at 6 a.m. ET (also on ESPN+).
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