UFC

UFC Returns to China With Walker vs. Zhang at Shanghai Indoor Arena on August 23

By LockerRoom Team August 17, 2025

UFC will make its highly anticipated return to China with two major events, highlighted by UFC Fight Night: Walker vs. Zhang on August 23 and the ROAD TO UFC Season 4 semifinals on August 22. The events are held in cooperation with the Shanghai Sports Bureau, the Xuhui District Government, Alibaba subsidiary Orange Lion Sports, and China Mobile subsidiary Migu, UFC’s broadcast partner in China.

The main event of UFC Fight Night: Walker vs. Zhang features No. 13 light heavyweight Johnny Walker against No. 14 ranked Zhang Mingyang. The co-main event will see No. 4 ranked featherweight and two-time title challenger Brian Ortega square off against former UFC bantamweight champion and No. 7 ranked featherweight Aljamain Sterling.

The fight card takes place at the Shanghai Indoor Arena on Saturday, August 23, with prelims starting at 3 p.m. CST and the main card at 6 p.m. CST.

Other announced bouts include:

  • No. 3 ranked heavyweight Sergei Pavlovich (19-3, Moscow, Russia) vs. No. 6 ranked Waldo Cortes Acosta (14-1, Phoenix, Arizona, USA by way of Fundacion, Barahona, Dominican Republic).

  • “The Tibetan Eagle” Sumudaerji (17-7, Sichuan, China) vs. Kevin Borjas (10-3, Lima, Peru) in a flyweight contest.

  • Taiyilake (11-1, 1 NC, Chengdu, Sichuan, China) makes his UFC debut against Kiefer Crosbie (10-5, Dublin, Ireland) at welterweight.

  • Maheshate (10-4, Sichuan, China), China’s first Dana White’s Contender Series contract winner, vs. Gauge Young (9-3, Sedalia, Missouri, USA) at lightweight.

  • Lone’er Kavanagh (9-0, London, England) vs. Charles Johnson (17-7, Topeka, Kansas, USA).

  • Rongzhu (26-6, Sichuan, China) vs. Austin Hubbard (17-8, Denver, Colorado, USA) at lightweight.

  • Michel Pereira (31-13, Tucuma, Para, Brazil) vs. Kyle Daukaus (15-4, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA) at middleweight.

  • Yizha (25-5, Sichuan, China) vs. Westin Wilson (17-9, Simpsonville, South Carolina, USA) at featherweight.

  • Xiao Long (27-9, Hunan, China) vs. SuYoung You (15-3, 2 NC, Gunpo, South Korea) in a bantamweight clash.

  • Light heavyweight showdown between Diyar Nurgozhay (10-1, Astana, Kazakhstan) and Uran Satybaldiev (9-1, Osh, Kyrgyzstan).