Walker stuns Zhang with TKO in UFC Shanghai main event

Johnny Walker walked into enemy territory and earned a TKO finish of Zhang Mingyang in the UFC Shanghai main event Saturday at the Shanghai Indoor Stadium.

Walker dropped Zhang with a calf kick and then finished him with devastating ground-and-pound. The light heavyweight bout ended at the 2:37 mark of the second round.

Walker, who was nearly a 3-1 underdog on theScore Bet and ESPN BET, snapped a three-fight winless streak and picked up his first victory since May 2023.

Zhang had a strong start to the fight. He got on top of Walker five seconds into the opening round, reversing an ill-advised takedown attempt. Walker returned to his feet, but Zhang did the much better work in the stand-up department, tagging the Brazilian with a heavy right hand and an elbow.

But Walker changed the course of the fight in the second round. He cracked Zhang with a heavy leg kick that gave the Chinese fighter no choice but to collapse to the mat. Walker swarmed him with ground-and-pound, landing punches as Zhang covered up. Referee Marc Goddard gave Zhang several moments to try to improve position, but Walker continued to pummel Zhang with punches and eventually Goddard had to step in.

Walker returned to the Octagon for the first time since he suffered a first-round knockout loss to Volkan Oezdemir in June 2024. After the victory, the 33-year-old said he wants to face former light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz next.

Zhang, 27, suffered his first loss in the promotion. He began his Octagon career with three straight first-round finishes, including a TKO of Anthony Smith in April.