Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) returns to Shanghai on Sat. (Aug. 23, 2025) for a special “Fight Night” event inside Shanghai Indoor Arena in Xuhui District, Shanghai, China. Headlining the ESPN+ fight card will be light heavyweight contenders Johnny Walker and Zhang Mingyang, who came face-to-face for the first time on Tues. morning at The Bund in central Shanghai.
“Creating a legacy matters to me,” Walker told Sherdog.com. “I was the first fighter in my family. Now, [my brother] Valter is walking beside me. Maybe one day my son will follow, too, but even if he doesn’t, the Walker name will stand for something: strength, sacrifice, perseverance. From the streets of Belford Roxo to the biggest stage in the world, this is just the beginning for us.”
UFC Shanghai also features the featherweight collision pitting former 135-pound champion, Aljamain Sterling, opposite two-time featherweight title challenger, Brian Ortega. That bout follows the middleweight showdown pitting Brazilian wild man, Michel Pereira, opposite once-beaten “Contender Series” standout, Marco Tulio. Elsewhere on the card, Sergei Pavlovich looks to win his second straight opposite stateside “Salsa Boy” Waldo Cortes-Acosta.
For the rest of the UFC Shanghai fight card and ESPN+ lineup click here.
