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Fight By Fight Preview | UFC Shanghai
Diving Into The Lineup For Saturday’s Early Morning Slate From Shanghai
By E. Spencer Kyte, on X @spencerkyte
For the first time in nearly eight years, the UFC returns to Shanghai with a stacked fight card on Saturday that spotlights some of the region’s top emerging talents.
Headlined by an explosive light heavyweight battle between Johnny Walker and Zhang Mingyang with a pair of Top 10 matchups serving as table-setters, this weekend’s event at Shanghai Indoor Stadium promises to be a thrilling way to kick off your Saturday. So get the coffee on, whip up some breakfast, and get ready for some early morning action from Mainland China.
Now let’s dive into what’s in store this weekend.
Main Event: Johnny Walker vs. Zhang Mingyang
Light heavyweight finishers collide in the main event as divisional stalwart Johnny Walker takes on streaking prospect Zhang Mingyang.
Nearly seven years into his UFC career at this point, Walker has settled into a comfortable existence in the Top 15 of the 205-pound ranks, serving as a dangerous litmus test for hopefuls and a seasoned foe for veteran competitors. The Brazilian has landed on the wrong side of the results in each of his last two outings, but has a serious edge in experience over his youthful foe this weekend.
Zhang has rocketed into the rankings on the strength of consecutive first-round finishes in each of his first three UFC appearances. Last time out, the 26-year-old “Mountain Tiger” ushered Anthony Smith into retirement with a series of elbows, marking himself as a must-see emerging threat in the always fluid light heavyweight ranks.
This is a key fight for both individuals on Saturday, as Walker seeks to avoid a fourth straight appearance without a victory and Zhang aims to continue pushing forward. Both have considerable power and dynamic finishing abilities, so it could very well come down to who lands first or who lands hardest once they get in there this weekend.
Additional Main Card Matchups
Brian Ortega vs Aljamain Sterling
It’s No. 4 versus No. 7 in the featherweight division as Brian Ortega and Aljamain Sterling meet in the co-main event in Shanghai.
Now 34 years old, Ortega competes for the first time since dropping a decision to Diego Lopes last year at UFC 306 at Sphere in Las Vegas. Though he’s just 2-4 over his last six fights, each of those setbacks came against champions (Max Holloway, Alexander Volkanovski) or title challengers (Yair Rodríguez, Lopes) with “T-City” having avenged his injury-induced defeat to the former interim champ Rodriguez early last year.
Sterling turned 36 at the end of July and comes into his third featherweight appearance looking to further establish where he fits in the division. He dominated Calvin Kattar on the ground in his first outing at 145 pounds last year at UFC 300, but landed on the wrong side of the scorecards against top contender Movsar Evloev in December, leaving him stationed in the Top 10, but a couple spots back of the Top 5.
Featherweight is in an interesting place right now, with a handful of ascending names all making a push towards the top of the division, challenging some of these more senior competitors for their place in line. While the winner of this one will solidify their standing as a serious threat and veteran presence, the vanquished competitor will be facing a crucial assignment whenever they return.
Sergei Pavlovich vs Waldo Cortes Acosta
Sergei Pavlovich and Waldo Cortes Acosta square off in a fascinating matchup between Top 10 heavyweights with eyes on challenging for gold in the not too distant future.
Pavlovich rattled off six straight first-round stoppage wins to land opposite Tom Aspinall in a battle for the interim title at UFC 295, then lost his follow-up bout to fellow Russian Alexander Volkov seven months later to fall to 18-3 overall. He rebounded with a workmanlike win over Jairzinho Rozenstruik in February, and currently resides at No. 3 in the rankings, behind Volkov and impending title challenger Ciryl Gane.
One of the best success stories from the last couple graduating classes from Dana White’s Contender Series, Cortes Acosta arrives in Shanghai on a five-fight winning streak, looking to force his way into the Top 5. The Dominican “Salsa Boy” followed up his March knockout of Ryan Spann with a unanimous decision win over Serghei Spivac at UFC 316, advancing to 14-1 overall in the process.
Will Pavlovich prove he’s a level ahead of Cortes Acosta or will the DWCS alum earn a place amongst the division’s elite with a sixth straight triumph?
Sumudaerji vs Kevin Borjas
Young veteran Sumudaerji faces off with Kevin Borjas in what promises to be an exciting flyweight contest on Saturday’s main card.
Seven-plus years into his UFC tenure and still only 29 years old, Sumudaerji halted a three-fight slide with a split decision win over Mitch Raposo at UFC 314 in April. Injuries and activity have been an issue for the Chinese trailblazer, so the fact that he’s competing for a second time in four months is a promising sign for the Enbo Fight Club representative.
A member of the DWCS Class of ’23, Borjas dropped his promotional debut to Joshua Van and was stopped by Alessandro Costa in his sophomore appearance, but rebounded earlier this year with an excellent showing opposite Ronaldo Rodriguez in Mexico City, claiming his first UFC victory. The 27-year-old from Peru has sharp hands and good movement, but it will be interesting to see how he contends with the length of Sumudaerji in this one.
This sets up as a potentially combustible pairing as both men like to keep it standing, with Borjas working best when he’s leading the dance and Sumudaerji often content to use his range and counter. No matter how it shakes out, it should be all kinds of fun for as long as it lasts.
Kiefer Crosbie vs Taiyilake Nueraji
Irish veteran Kiefer Crosbie welcomes Taiyilake Nueraji to the Octagon for the first time in Saturday’s main card opener.
The 35-year-old Crosbie has landed on the wrong side of first-round stoppages in each of his two UFC appearances to date, succumbing to submissions against both Kevin Jouset and Sam Patterson. The SBG Ireland man has heaps of experience to lean on, and will need to be locked in from the jump in order to avoid a third consecutive setback.
Nueraji made a splash in a non-tournament bout during Season 2 of Road to UFC, felling HanSeul Kim with a step-in elbow midway through their May 2023 clash at the UFC Performance Institute Shanghai. He’s won five straight overall and 11 of 12 for his career while sporting a 100 percent finishing rate.
Can “BDK” get his first UFC win or will the “Super Saiyan” score another finish in Shanghai?
Preliminary Card Pairings
Maheshate vs Gauge Young
Maheshate and Gauge Young square off in a lightweight clash that should close out the prelims with a bang this weekend.
Still just 25 years old, Maheshate has gone 2-3 over his first five UFC appearances, but he’s also the last man to beat surging “Mean Machine” Steve Garcia. A DWCS alum, Young turned in a solid showing on short notice against Evan Elder in April, and looks to impress further here in his first full-camp appearance inside the Octagon.
Lone’er Kavanagh vs Charles Johnson
It’s a classic “prospect versus veteran” battle here as Lone’er Kavanagh and Charles Johnson share the cage on Saturday.
Kavanagh has gone 2-0 in the UFC since kicking off Season 8 of Dana White’s Contender Series with a first-round knockout win over An Tuan Ho. Johnson had his four-fight winning streak halted last time out, but remains a skilled and experienced presence on the fringes of the Top 15 in the flyweight division.
Rongzhu vs Austin Hubbard
Rongzhu looks to build on his first UFC triumph in nearly four years while Austin Hubbard aims to rebound as the lightweights each make their second appearances of the year.
After earning his way back onto the roster by winning the lightweight tournament on Season 2 of Road to UFC, Rongzhu rebounded from a stoppage loss to Chris Padilla with a slick striking effort against Kody Steele at UFC 312. Hubbard has landed on the wrong side of the coin flip in consecutive contests, dropping split decisions to MarQuel Mederos and Alexander Hernandez heading into this one.
Michel Pereira vs Kyle Daukaus
Michel Pereira welcomes Kyle Daukaus back to the Octagon in this fascinating middleweight fixture.
Pereira opened his middleweight tenure with three straight rapid stoppage wins to break into the Top 15, but has since lost consecutive contests to Anthony Hernandez and Abus Magomedov. Daukaus has gone 4-0 since exiting the UFC, winning the CFFC middleweight title before earning consecutive successful title defenses by stoppage last year.
Yizha vs Westin Wilson
Yizha and Westin Wilson face off in a battle of featherweights with high finishing rates.
A two-time Road to UFC finalist, Yizha dropped a competitive decision to Gabriel Santos in his promotional debut last September, halting a three-fight winning streak. Conversely, Wilson got things moving in the right direction with a first-round submission win over former Road to UFC competitor Jeka Saragih in his most recent outing.
Xiao Long vs SuYoung You
It’s a clash between Road to UFC bantamweight standouts here as Season 2 finalist Xiao Long faces Season 3 winner SuYoung You.
Xiao landed on the wrong side of a split decision verdict after waiting nearly a year to wrap up the Season 2 tournament with ChangHo Lee, but responded with a third-round stoppage win over Quang Le in his promotional debut last November. You followed up his tournament win on that same November fight card with a unanimous decision triumph over AJ Cunningham in March to move to 15-3 overall.
Uran Satybaldiev vs Diyar Nurgozhay
Light heavyweights open the show in Shanghai as sophomores Uran Satybaldiev and Diyar Nurgozhay look to bounce back from setbacks in their respective debuts.
The former LFA champ Satybaldiev dropped his short-notice debut up at heavyweight to Martin Buday back in April, a loss which bounced him from the ranks of the unbeaten. After earning a roster spot with a win on Season 8 of Dana White’s Contender Series, Nurgozhay missed weight and then was submitted by Brendson Ribeiro in his promotional debut in March.
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