{"id":88665,"date":"2025-08-22T23:41:11","date_gmt":"2025-08-22T23:41:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/88665\/"},"modified":"2025-08-22T23:41:11","modified_gmt":"2025-08-22T23:41:11","slug":"ufc-shanghai-picks-of-the-week-for-exciting-aug-23-show","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/88665\/","title":{"rendered":"UFC Shanghai Picks Of The Week For Exciting Aug. 23 Show!"},"content":{"rendered":"

Setting the table for a superb offering of amazing bouts in Shanghai, the UFC shines the spotlight on the light heavyweight category when power-punching prodigy<\/a> Mingyang Zhang goes toe-to-toe with Brazilian star Johnny Walker. In the co-main event, featherweight legend Brian Ortega tests himself against previous bantamweight gold standard Aljamain Sterling.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

UFC Fight Night 257 Main Event<\/p>\n

In the midst of a 12-fight winning streak, Zhang<\/a> has thrust himself into notoriety after picking up a trio of first round stoppages in his three UFC appearances so far, earning three performance bonuses in those fights. Now standing amongst the best that the 205-lb class has to offer, \u201cMountain Tiger\u201d is ready to maul his way up the rankings with a victory in his home country of China.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

A veteran of 14 contests inside the Octagon, Walker<\/a> has made a name for himself for his wide-array of highlight-reel finishes over stern opposition such as Ryan Spann, Anthony Smith and Khalil Rountree Jr. Although currently in a two-bout skid, the SBG representative remains eager to make it back into the winner\u2019s circle and top contender status.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

UFC Fight Night 257 Co-Main Event<\/p>\n

A two-time championship challenger, Ortega<\/a> has been near the higher end of 145-lb for over a decade, proven by his incredible victories over Cub Swanson, Frankie Edgar, The Korean Zombie and Yair Rodriguez<\/a>. Going 1-3 in his past four scraps, a statement-making performance in Shanghai is all but necessary for \u201cT-City\u201d if he wishes to keep himself relevant in the upper echelon of the weight class.<\/p>\n

\"UFC<\/a>September 14, 2024, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA: BRIAN ORTEGA fights in a 3-round Featherweight bout at UFC 306 Riyadh Season Noche UFC at the Sphere in Las Vegas. Las Vegas USA \u2013 ZUMAs346 20240914_zsp_s346_056 Copyright: xAlejandroxSalazarx<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

For several years, Sterling<\/a> ruled the 135-lb division with an iron fist, racking up three title defenses while besting fellow former champions Petr Yan<\/a>, T.J. Dillashaw<\/a> and Henry Cejudo. On a mission to rebound after a disappointing loss to Movsar Evloev last year, \u201cFunkmaster\u201d takes on another accomplished grappler in the storied Rener Gracie-trained black belt Ortega.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

More Bouts On the Main Card<\/p>\n

Rounding out the main card, heavyweight juggernaut Sergei Pavlovich<\/a> battles the streaking Waldo Cortes-Acosta. Then, Chinese flyweight Sumudaerji locks horns with Peruvian prospect Kevin Borjas. Finally, Taiyilake Nueraji makes his UFC debut when he encounters Irish standout Kiefer Crosbie.\u00a0<\/p>\n

UFC Fight Night 257 Predictions and Staff Picks<\/p>\n

MMASucka staff picks are composed of four of the world\u2019s leading mixed martial arts organizations: the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), the Professional Fighters League (PFL), ONE Championship (ONE FC), and Dana White\u2019s Contender Series (DWCS).<\/p>\n

UFC picks will include main card fights ranging from four to six matchups per event.
\nPFL picks from main cards for pay-per-views and from tournament fights in the Regular Season, Playoffs, and Finals.
\nONE FC and DWCS picks will feature all MMA fights from the event with a minimum of three matchups.<\/p>\n

The individual who picks the most victorious fighters by the end of 2025 will have a choice between receiving a custom-made championship belt from ProAmBelts <\/a>or a detailed chain from Championship Chains<\/a>. Staff picks in 2023 were won by Ben Jamieson with a record of 300-148.<\/p>\n

Find our UFC Fight Night 257 picks and fight odds below.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Staff records after PFL 10 (2025):\u00a0<\/p>\n

Hank Strandberg: 141-79
\n Drew Zuhosky: 112-108
\n Frazer Krohn: 105-78
\n Jeremy Brand: 104-78
\n Andrew Benjamin: 32-90<\/p>\n

*Note \u2013 not all staff pick for every event*<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Taiyilake Nueraji -500
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Vs.
\nKiefer Crosbie +375
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0WELTERWEIGHT<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Jeremy Brand: Nueraji by Unanimous Decision
Hank Strandberg: Nueraji by Unanimous Decision
Drew Zuhosky: Nueraji by Unanimous Decision
Frazer Krohn: Crosbie by First Round Knockout\u00a0
\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Staff picking Nueraji: 3<\/p>\n

Staff picking Crosbie: 1<\/p>\n

Su Mudaerji -160
\nVs.
\nKevin Borjas +140
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0FLYWEIGHT<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Jeremy Brand: Mudaerji by Unanimous Decision\u00a0
Hank Strandberg: \u00a0Mudaerji by Unanimous Decision\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0
Drew Zuhosky: Borjas by Unanimous Decision\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0
Frazer Kron: Mudaerji by Unanimous Decision\u00a0
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Staff picking Mudaerji: 3<\/p>\n

Staff picking Borjas: 1<\/p>\n

Sergey Pavlovich -255
\nVs.
\nWaldo Cortes-Acosta +215
\nHEAVYWEIGHT<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Jeremy Brand: Pavlovich by First Round Knockout\u00a0
Hank Strandberg: Cortes-Acosta by Unanimous Decision \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0
Drew Zuhosky: Cortes-Acosta by First Round Knockout\u00a0
Frazer Kron: Pavlovich by Second Round Knockout \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Staff picking Pavlovich: 2\u00a0<\/p>\n

Staff picking Cortes-Acosta: 2<\/p>\n

Aljamain Sterling -395
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Vs.
\nBrian Ortega +330
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0CATCHWEIGHT 155-lb<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Jeremy Brand: Ortega by Third Round Submission\u00a0
Hank Strandberg: Sterling by Unanimous Decision
Drew Zuhosky: Sterling by Unanimous Decision\u00a0
Frazer Krohn: Sterling by Unanimous Decision<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Staff picking Sterling: 3<\/p>\n

Staff picking Ortega: 1<\/p>\n

Mingyang Zhang -335
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Vs.
\nJohnny Walker +275
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Jeremy Brand: Walker by Second Round Submission\u00a0
Hank Strandberg: Zhang by First Round Knockout\u00a0
Drew Zuhosky: Zhang by First Round Knockout\u00a0\u00a0
Frazer Krohn: Zhang by First Round Knockout\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Staff picking Zhang: 3<\/p>\n

Staff picking Walker: 1<\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Setting the table for a superb offering of amazing bouts in Shanghai, the UFC shines the spotlight on…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":88666,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[570],"tags":[64,63,786,785,85],"class_list":["post-88665","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-mma","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-fighting","tag-mma","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/88665","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=88665"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/88665\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/88666"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=88665"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=88665"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=88665"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}