Zhang Mingyang got what they call “fraud checked” earlier today (Sat., Aug. 23, 2025) at UFC Shanghai LIVE on ESPN+ from inside the Shanghai Indoor Stadium in Shanghai, China, suffering an upset TKO (leg kicks and punches) to light heavyweight veteran Johnny Walker in the main event.
Walker inexplicably shot for a takedown in the first two seconds of the fight and ended up on his back. From there, Mingyang landed some short ground-and-pound to jump out to an early lead. The veteran light heavyweight
was able to get back to his feet only to have Mingyang score some clean elbows inside. Walker did find a home for a stiff jab, but he was beginning to trail.
Mingyang let his hands go even more in the second round (his first second-round appearance since 2018) and ended up hurting Walker in the opening 90 seconds. Walker hung in tough, though, and badly hurt Mingyang with two nasty calf kicks. The Chinese contender dropped to the canvas as Walker started to tee off with heavy punches. The referee watched closely, but eventually had no choice but to jump in and stop the action.
Walker, who was about a 3:1 betting underdog heading into Saturday’s main event, walked away with his first UFC win since May 2023. It was quite the comeback for the towering Brazilian finisher.
Check out the video highlights below:
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