{"id":93023,"date":"2025-08-24T07:07:16","date_gmt":"2025-08-24T07:07:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/93023\/"},"modified":"2025-08-24T07:07:16","modified_gmt":"2025-08-24T07:07:16","slug":"ufc-shanghai-results-sooo-about-last-night-mingyang-vs-walker","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/93023\/","title":{"rendered":"UFC Shanghai results: Sooo … About last night | Mingyang vs. Walker"},"content":{"rendered":"

Last night (Sat., Aug. 23, 2025), Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) ventured forth to Shanghai Indoor Stadium in Shanghai, China, for UFC Shanghai. I do always enjoy the UFC\u2019s occasional trips to Asia. The \u201cFight Night\u201d events in China have a different flair to them, an elevated set of fights on the main card accompanied by a nice mix of new talent early on the fight. This card, however, was perhaps most significant because of Brian Ortega\u2019s weigh-in disappearance<\/a> and undead comeback<\/a>, which left all waking eyes on the co-main event.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s take a look back over the best performances and techniques of the evening:<\/p>\n

\"SHANGHAI,<\/a><\/p>\n

SHANGHAI, CHINA – AUGUST 23: (L-R) Johnny Walker of Brazil punches Zhang Mingyang of China in a light heavyweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at Shanghai Indoor Stadium on August 23, 2025 in Shanghai, China. (Photo by Jeff Bottari\/Zuffa LLC)<\/p>\n

Johnny Walker Overcomes The Brazilian Curse<\/p>\n

Did you know not a single Brazilian UFC fighter has won a main event this year \u2026 until the inimitable Johnny Walker that is!<\/p>\n

The fight did not start smoothly for the whacky knockout artist. In fact, he opened the contest with a charging double leg, hoping to surprise Zhang Mingyang and implement his grappling advantage. Instead, he met a hard sprawl and basically pulled mount. Mingyang has proven himself an elbow machine in his previous UFC fights, and he continued to build that reputation right away with some chopping connections.<\/p>\n

Once back on the feet, Mingyang sent Walker stumbling more than once with his heavy right hand and more of those clubbing elbows. Walker, to his credit, kicked and moved and tried to wrestle, but another knockout loss was feeling imminent.<\/p>\n

Instead, Walker found his opening. He started kicking Mingyang in the lead leg hard, hard enough that the Chinese athlete committed to his own low kicks. Apparently, Walker kicks much harder and more accurately, because one of his calf kicks struck the peroneal nerve. Mingyang collapsed in a heap of pain, and Walker finally had a path to top position.<\/p>\n

Standing over the favorite, Walker rained down nasty ground strikes. There was a moment where it looked like Mingyang might survive the barrage, but when he tried to stand, his leg still couldn\u2019t support him even a minute or so after the knockdown.<\/p>\n

After the failed stand up, the finish was just a few more hammerfists away.<\/p>\n

\"SHANGHAI,<\/a><\/p>\n

SHANGHAI, CHINA – AUGUST 23: (R-L) Aljamain Sterling punches Brian Ortega in a 153-pound catchweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at Shanghai Indoor Stadium on August 23, 2025 in Shanghai, China. (Photo by Jeff Bottari\/Zuffa LLC)<\/p>\n

Sterling Vs. Ortega Fails To Live Up To The Hype<\/p>\n

I have an obligation to write about this fight, because it was the most widely anticipated match up on the card. Unfortunately, the bout itself wasn\u2019t that interesting, as it was an unfortunate low-volume kickboxing match between master grapplers that didn\u2019t leave anyone particularly impressed.<\/p>\n

Ortega was so stuck in the mud here. He\u2019s never been fleet-footed, but he was standing completely flat while Sterling moved in and out with strikes. Sterling\u2019s hard outside low kick surely didn\u2019t help the issue, but the former Featherweight title challenger looked sleepy and immobile before any of those lands. The most impressive part of the fight was Sterling\u2019s jab, which smashed into Ortega\u2019s completely static face with regularity for 25-minutes.<\/p>\n

Sterling got the job done, but he also could have pushed for a finish in round two, when his overhand to the eyeball blinded Ortega. Instead, he let \u201cT-City\u201d complain to the ref and get a free rest. Getting rocked and fatigued in the fifth didn\u2019t help his case either. A win\u2019s a win, but this isn\u2019t the kind of performance that will allow him to jump into a title shot over Lerone Murphy or Movsar Evloev, and time is short for the 36-year-old former champion.<\/p>\n

\"SHANGHAI,<\/a><\/p>\n

SHANGHAI, CHINA – AUGUST 23: (R-L) Charles Johnson punches Lone\u2019er Kavanagh of England in a flyweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at Shanghai Indoor Stadium on August 23, 2025 in Shanghai, China. (Photo by Jeff Bottari\/Zuffa LLC)<\/p>\n

Put Some Respect On Inner G<\/p>\n

Charles Johnson is a much better Flyweight than most fans realize.<\/p>\n

\u201cInner G\u201d did not start his UFC career smoothly, losing four of his first six bouts. At 34 years of age, he\u2019s not a young prospect. He\u2019s not going to be put on the UFC fast track any time soon because of those factors, but since February 2024, he\u2019s proven himself an excellent fighter. In that span, Johnson has won five of six bouts, and the only loss came to a highly-touted opponent who just popped for performance enhancing drugs!<\/a><\/p>\n

At UFC Shanghai, Johnson threw down with England\u2019s Lone\u2019er Kavanagh, perhaps the division\u2019s brightest prospect. The 26-year-old showed why he\u2019s so well-regarded in the opening round with his quick combinations of power punches, out-landing Johnson at a solid rate. Johnson, ever the veteran, didn\u2019t let Kavanagh\u2019s success shake him. He continued to push and engage, forcing Kavanagh to continue to expend energy without any chance to recover.<\/p>\n

The real turning point was when Kavanagh opted to show off his wrestling midway through the second, burning gas with explosive takedowns that didn\u2019t result in any control. When the two Flyweights were back on their feet, Kavanagh\u2019s hands were lower and his feet slower. Johnson stayed in his grill and only upped the pace. When Kavanagh tried to exit the pocket with his hands by his knees, \u201cInner G\u201d blasted him with a massive right hook.<\/p>\n

After this finish \u2014 and his 2024 knockout of imminent title challenger Joshua Van! \u2014 it\u2019s time to get Kavanagh a match up with somebody ranked above him in the Top 10. He\u2019s earned the opportunity to fight up for once.<\/p>\n

\"SHANGHAI,<\/a><\/p>\n

SHANGHAI, CHINA – AUGUST 23: Kyle Daukaus elbows Michel Pereira of Brazil in a middleweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at Shanghai Indoor Stadium on August 23, 2025 in Shanghai, China. (Photo by Jeff Bottari\/Zuffa LLC)<\/p>\n

Welcome Back Kyle Daukaus<\/p>\n

Getting cut from the UFC is a crushing setback.<\/p>\n

Imagine, for a second, that you\u2019re a young fighter chasing the dream. By achieving a few wins on the regional scene, you\u2019ve already exceeded expectations and gone further than most. Then, the UFC comes calling, and it feels like everything is finally clicking into place \u2014 even the wildest dreams of championship gold are suddenly feasible. Maybe you\u2019ll actually start making money from this fighting thing!<\/p>\n

Instead, you suffer a few tough losses and are back on the regional scene with nothing to show for it. This situation happens all the time, and it sends a lot of fighters into retirement. Daukaus, on the other hand, returned to action in CFFC, regained the Middleweight title, and demonstrated improved boxing in his pair of title defenses.<\/p>\n

Perseverance paid off for the 32-year-old from Philadelphia, who returned with a dramatic 43-second KO win over the well-respected Michel Pereira. Daukaus caught Pereira blind with a Southpaw right hook, timing the shot perfectly on the chin. Not only is it the best win of his entire career, but the impressive stoppage victory earned him an extra $50k<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Hopefully, Daukaus\u2019 second UFC stint rolls a bit smoother than the first. Regardless, it\u2019s a testament to his willpower that he was able to make it back to the Octagon at all.<\/p>\n

\"SHANGHAI,<\/a><\/p>\n

SHANGHAI, CHINA – AUGUST 23: Uran Satybaldiev of Kyrgyzstan prepares to face Diyar Nurgozhay of Kazakstan in a light heavyweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at Shanghai Indoor Stadium on August 23, 2025 in Shanghai, China. (Photo by Jeff Bottari\/Zuffa LLC)<\/p>\n

Taiyilake Nueraji defeats Kiefer Crosbie via first-round knockout: Crosbie definitely should have taken the disqualification here after taking an illegal knee early in the fight. Instead, Nueraji saw two points taken away, which didn\u2019t end up mattering terribly considering he beat Crosbie senseless almost immediately after the restart. Nueraji is clearly an aggressive finisher, but we knew that ahead of this contest.Yizha defeats Westin Wilson via first-round knockout (highlights)<\/a>: Look, this was a cool KO that lasted less than a minute, but it tells us almost nothing about Yizha as a prospect. Yizha was a 12-1 favorite for a simple reason in that Wilson is not at all a UFC calibre fighter (like Crosbie above). Subsequently, Yizha was able to unload combinations right away, putting away his outmatched foe to secure his first Octagon victory and thrill the crowd.Uran Satybaldiev defeats Diyar Nurgozhay via first-round Ezekiel choke (highlights)<\/a>: Kyrgyzstan\u2019s Satybaldiev debuted on short-notice up at Heavyweight earlier this year, giving Martin Buday a solid challenge in his first professional loss. With a full camp and down at his proper class of 205-pounds, Satybaldiev looked great! He hurt Nurgozhay early on and nearly finished a kimura, instead wrapping up the ultra rare Ezekiel choke from within Nurgozhay\u2019s guard. That\u2019s an unusual submission from the \u201890s only seen amongst the big boys, but Satybaldiev might be a real prospect to watch in a division in dire need of fresh blood.<\/p>\n

For complete UFC Shanghai results and play-by-play, click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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