UFC Shanghai Preview (Walker vs. Mingyang)
The UFC is invading the Shanghai Indoor Stadium in Shanghai, China on Saturday, August 23rd for UFC Fight Night 257. The main event will be in the light heavyweight division between #13 Johnny Walker and #14 Zhang Mingyang.
Walker is trying to rebound from two straight losses and most recently suffered a first KO loss to Volkan Oezdemir in June. The Brazilian is 3-4-1 in his last eight fights and is in need of a win if he wants to still be considered a main event fighter in the light heavyweight division.
The 33-year-old talked about recovering from bad losses. “It hasn’t been difficult,” Walker said. “I’ve taken this time to improve myself. I was training so much. I’ve changed gyms, changed coaches, changed countries. Now, I’m set in Las Vegas and living there with the best that I can have.”
Walker will benefit from having trained with Mingyang. “We trained for his last training camp,” Walker said. “I helped him to prepare for Anthony Smith a little bit, some sparring, some jiu-jitsu, so I know what he is capable of. But he doesn’t what I am capable of, because when I train with him, I had just hurt my ribs, I couldn’t do much, so he doesn’t know what’s coming, but I know what is coming.”
Once considered a top contender and a threat to challenge for the title, Walker now finds himself believing he has to prove he can get back on the path to win the belt. “I know the level that I have,” Walker said. “I’ve been fighting top level guys, one was a former champion, and one is a current champion. I know my caliber and I know what it takes to be a champion, and I know I’m on the right path.”
Walker respects Mingyang and knows he is in for a tough fight. “(Zhang) is a very explosive fighter, a rising star in China. He has a lot of finishes in the first round, but he has never fought anybody on my level. That’s a big test for him, and he is not going to pass.”
The pundits believe Walker is in need of a big win and Walker does not disagree. “Right now, I’m number 13,” Walker said. “I am a veteran now, I have a lot of experience, and I know what it takes to get there, and the real path depends on my performance in this fight. One or two more wins can put me in talks for a title shot again, hopefully. It depends how I win. I’m planning to make a statement.”
He concluded, “I need to use all the weapons that Johnny Walker knows, use my full ability. Usually, I just go to strike with people, but this is MMA and I’m going to use the brain this time.”
Walker has key wins in his career over Khalil Rountree Jr, Ryan Spann, Paul Craig and Anthony Smith. A win over a younger rising star in dominant fashion will remind the light heavyweight division how dangerous Walker once was.
Mingyang has won 12 straight fights and is 3-0 in the UFC. He most recently defeated Anthony Smith by first round TKO in April. The 27-year-old is primed for a top 10 fight with a dominant win over Walker on Saturday.
The Chinese fighter explained why he took this fight against Walker. "Johnny fights in a very unorthodox way," Mingyang said. "So even for me, for this camp, I need to bring many different training partners to help me kind of mimic Johnny's style because you cannot find one individual fighter who can fight like Johnny. The only reason I took this fight is because everybody who beat Johnny became the champion. That's the reason I took this fight. Other than that, I would say no.”
Mingyang has won all three of his fights in the UFC by first round KO. While he has been impressive, he explained that is not how he tries to win going into each fight. "I never chase a first-round finish in all my previous fights," Mingyang said. "I always prepared for either a three-round or five-round fight. But when I step into the cage, when the fights starts, if I see any openings or any holes from my opponents, I will catch it.”
What kind of fight does Mingyang think he will have against Walker on Saturday? “I am very honored to fight Johnny Walker in this main event. Johnny is a very tough fighter with great skills. I have been preparing very hard for this fight, said Mingyang.
“I have a lot of respect for Johnny Walker. He’s a powerful and experienced fighter. I will do my best to bring a great fight for the fans.”
The rest of the main card:
Featherweight: Brian Ortega vs. Aljamain Sterling
Heavyweight: Sergei Pavlovich vs. Waldo Cortes-Acosta
Flyweight: Su Mudaerji vs. Kevin Borjas
Welterweight: Taiyilake Nueraji vs. Kiefer Crosbie
ESPN+ Prelims:
Lightweight: Maheshate Hayisaer vs. Gauge Young
Flyweight: Lone’er Kavanagh vs. Charles Johnson
Lightweight: Rong Zhu vs. Austin Hubbard
Middleweight: Michel Pereira vs. Kyle Daukaus
Featherweight: Yi Zha vs. Westin Wilson
Bantamweight: Xiao Long vs. You Su-young
Light Heavyweight: Uran Satybaldiev vs. Diyar Nurgozhay
