Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is headed back to China to stage UFC Shanghai from inside Mercedes-Benz Arena, featuring a Light Heavyweight showdown between Johnny Walker vs. Mingyang Zhang, while the co-main event will see half-dead Brian Ortega attempt to take on former Bantamweight champion, Aljamain Sterling, in a 153-pound Catchweight fight.
It will all stream on ESPN+, with a start time slated for 3 a.m. ET (that’s not a typo).
What UFC event is on tonight? UFC Shanghai: “Walker vs. Zhang”
What time does UFC Shanghai start? TODAY (Sat., Aug. 23, 2025), beginning at 3 a.m. ET on ESPN+.
Where will UFC Shanghai take place? Mercedes-Benz Arena in Shanghai, China
How can I watch UFC Shanghai? ESPN+ “Prelims” undercard matches are scheduled to begin at 3 a.m. ET on ESPN+, followed by the remaining main card balance on ESPN+ at 6 a.m. ET.
How do I bet on UFC Shanghai? Checkout the latest lines at DraftKings.com
Where can I get UFC Shanghai updates and results? Get full UFC Shanghai play-by-play updates and live coverage at www.MMAmania.com!
I get the reason(s) UFC matchmakers booked Zhang to headline the event since he is, after all, from Fuyang, Anhui, China. What I don’t get is why it’s against Walker. They are only separated by one spot on the rankings (Walker sits at No. 13, Zhang at No. 14). Still, Walker is on a two-fight losing streak, while Zhang has won 12 straight, which includes three consecutive victories inside the Octagon. That said, a matchup like this would usually go on my “What’s Not” list. Nevertheless, business is business, and Zhang will attempt to take care of it in front of the hometown crowd against a long-time veteran who has been around the block a few times. Zhang has really shown promise, and a few more wins could expedite his win into the Top 10 sooner rather than later. Making a case for his move up the ladder is his knack for finishing fights, as each of his wins have come by either knockout or submission, and has only gone to the judges scorecards once during his decade-long career.
Zhang’s finishing abilities are a big factor because Walker has a tendency to fold once he gets clipped right on the button, losing six of his nine defeats via knockout. His last three losses have come by way of knockout, so right out of the gate, things don’t look too snappy for Walker. That said, if he can be the one to stop Zhang’s momentum, it could be a much-needed restart to his UFC career. If he loses a third straight, then there is no telling what the future will hold for the towering Brazilian, who at one time in his career was considered a legit threat to Jon Jones when “Bones” was in the prime of his mixed marital arts (MMA) career. Those days are long gone, though, so he needs a win to simply hold onto his roster spot.
Original Card Vs. Actual Card:
A Welterweight showdown between Song Kenan vs. Kiefer Crosbie was scheduled for this event before Song withdrew from the fight and replaced by promotional newcomer, Taiyilake Nueraji. In addition, Michel Pereira was in line to face Marco Tulio before he bowed out. Stepping in to take his place is Kyle Daukaus, who is making his return to the promotion after four straight wins under the Cage Fury FC banner. Daukaus left UFC in Dec. 2022 after losing two straight, and now has a chance to start a fresh run. As for Pereira, he has lost two straight, so he needs a win pretty badly here.
No injuries were reported for this event. Near-death experiences, though? Check.
Taiyilake Nueraji will make his official UFC debut after securing a knockout win on Road To UFC Season 2 in May 2023. Since then, he has secured three straight first round stoppage wins to get a call up to the big show. He will be face Keifer Crosbie, who has started his UFC career with two straight defeats. Indeed, one more loss and it could be the end of the road for him inside the Octagon.
How The ‘Prelims’ Look:
Headlining the undercard will be a Lightweight fight between Maheshate Hayisaer vs. Gauge Young. Hayisaer has gotten off to a rough start to his career, going 2-3. As for Young, he came up short on Contender Series, so he wasn’t awarded a contract; however, after snagging a win on the regional circuit, he was given the opportunity inside the Octagon despite coming up short against Evan Elder four months ago.
Lone’er Kavanagh has been perfect (9-0) since making his professional debut more than six years ago. After taking a three-year break from 2019-2022, he has been a bit more consistent lately, eventually earning a UFC contract thanks to a first round knockout win on Contender Series. And after winning his first two fights under UFC’s banner, Kavanagh will now look to score No. 3 against Charles Johnson, who saw his four-fight win streak come to an end after running into Ramazonbek Temirov earlier this year.
Westin Wilson finally got his first win inside the Octagon after starting off winless (0-2), defeating Jeka Saragih via first round submission, which was more than one year ago. Wilson has been sitting idle for some time now, so it will be interesting to see if that shows come fight night. He will take on Zha Yi, who saw his three-fight win streak go up in smoke after losing to Gabriel Santos 11 months ago.
Currently on a four-fight win streak, Su Young You will attempt to go for lucky No. 5 when he goes toe-to-toe against Long Xiao, who has won five of his last six fights. Both men are fairly young in their respective UFC careers, so a win here gives them a little bump that they will need if the want to make any kind of wave in the stacked Bantamweight division.
Uran Satybaldiev vs. Diyar Nurgozhay will kick off the undercard in a fight between two men coming off losses. Satybaldiev suffered his first-ever defeat in his UFC debut after losing a unanimous decision to Martin Buday. As for Nurgozhav, he also lost his first fight ever in his own UFC debut after coming up short against Brendson Ribeiro earlier this year. Now, both men are hoping to avoid starting off their UFC careers with two straight defeats.
Austin Hubbard’s second run inside the Octagon has been subpar to say the least, going 1-3 in his last four fights under UFC’s banner, with his last two defeats coming by way of split decision. Another loss could see him out of the promotion once more, this time for good. He will have a tough task ahead of him in the form of China’s Rong Zhu, who is 2-1 inside the Octagon after winning the Road To UFC Season 2 Lightweight tournament.
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LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT MONSTERS! Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) returns to Shanghai, China, on Sat., Aug. 23, 2025, with UFC Shanghai: “Walker vs. Zhang” inside Shanghai Indoor Stadium. In the main event, explosive 205-pound standout, Johnny Walker, faces fast-rising knockout artist, Zhang Mingyang, in a high-stakes clash scheduled for five, five-minute rounds. In UFC Shanghai’s co-main event, top-ranked Featherweight contenders, Brian Ortega vs. Aljamain Sterling, square off, both aiming to solidify their spot in the 145-pound title picture.
After Ortega’s unprofessional weight management issues surfaced once again — and the five-round co-main event was nearly pulled last-second — he will lock horns with Sterling, a former Bantamweight roost-ruler. Sterling will look to get back into the win column after suffering a loss to No. 1-ranked Movsar Evloev in his last outing. Now fighting at Featherweight, “Funkmaster” has lost a little steam since his short-lived championship run, but if he can secure a win over Ortega — himself a former 145-pound title challenger — it could be what he needs to get going again. As for “T-City,” he has been out of action for nearly a year following his tough loss at the hands of Diego Lopes at Noche UFC. The defeat dropped him to 1-3 in his last four fights, so he needs a win her to get his groove back. Both men are accomplished jiu-jitsu practitioners. but they aren’t strangers about going to war on the feet. This is a crucial fight for both men that will now take place at a Catchweight of 153 pounds. On that note, there is no telling just how well Ortega will be feeling come fight day because of his awful weight-cut issues.
Suffering back-to-back defeats at the hands of Tom Aspinall (for the interim belt) and Alexander Volkov didn’t do anything good for Sergei Pavlovich’s career, but he was able to get back into the win column with a win over Jairzinho Rozenstruik. Now, the hulking Russian will attempt to use that momentum to secure a win over Waldo Cortes-Acosta, who is scorching hot with five straight wins. A win over Pavlovich would undoubtedly slingshot him into the Top 5 and closer to title fight consideration.
After losing three in a row, Sumudaerji saved his UFC career by getting back on track with a win over Mitch Raposo earlier this year, though it was by razor-thin split decision. He will attempt to get a more decisive win when he goes up against Kevin Borjas in main card action. Borjas also recently snapped his two-fight skid by defeating Ronaldo Rodriguez via unanimous decision, his first win inside the Octagon.
UFC Shanghai Main Event on ESPN+:
205 lbs.: Johnny Walker vs. Mingyang Zhang
UFC Shanghai Main Card on ESPN+ (6 a.m. ET):
153 lbs.: Brian Ortega vs. Aljamain Sterling
265 lbs.: Sergei Pavlovich vs. Waldo Cortes-Acosta
125 lbs.: Sumudaerji vs. Kevin Borjas
170 lbs.: Kiefer Crosbie vs. Taiyilake Nueraji
UFC Shanghai ‘Prelims’ Card on ESPN+ (3 a.m. ET):
155 lbs.: Maheshate Hayisaer vs. Gauge Young
125 lbs.: Lone’er Kavanagh vs. Charles Johnson
265 lbs.: Diyar Nurgozhay vs. Uran Satybaldiev
155 lbs.: Rongzhu vs. Austin Hubbard
185 lbs.: Michel Pereira vs. Kyle Daukus
145 lbs.: Yizha vs. Westin Wilson
135 lbs.: Long Xiao vs. Su Young You
205 lbs.: Diyar Nurgozhay vs. Uran Satybaldiev
*Fight card, bout order and number of fights subject to change.*
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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