For all of the hype surrounding first-round knockout artist and Chinese light heavyweight prospect Zhang Mingyang, all it took was a second-round rally from the always unpredictable Johnny Walker to provide a heat check during Saturday's UFC Fight Night main event in Shanghai.

Pico was viciously knocked out with a spinning-back elbow in the first round by Lerone Murphy in the co-main event of UFC 319. Sterling, who is set to face Brian Ortega in the co-main event of UFC Shanghai this Saturday, was watching the fight very closely as he hopes to get into title contention at 145 pounds.

Fight week drama is nothing new in the UFC, but this one had fans holding their breath. Brian Ortega was set to meet former bantamweight champ Aljamain Sterling in Shanghai this weekend, a five-round featherweight clash that promised fireworks.

Johnny Walker's leg kick leads to a flurry of blows to Zhang Mingyang and a second-round TKO win on Watch ESPN, first streamed on Saturday, August 23, 2025.

Johnny Walker was proud of his finish Saturday in Shanghai, but there's room for improvement and he's figured out why. In the UFC Fight Night 257 headliner, Walker (22-9 MMA, 8-6 UFC) battered Zhang Mingyang (19-7 MMA,