UFC Fight Night: Walker vs. Zhang - Odds, Predictions & Picks

• Zhang Mingyang on home territory as he takes on Johnny Walker in a ranked Light Heavyweight bout.

• Brian Ortega and Aljamain Sterling duke it out for Featherweight dominance in a high-ranked encounter.

• Third-ranked Sergei Pavlovich takes on Waldo Cortes-Acosta in a battle of heavy hitters.

UFC Fight Night: Walker vs. Zhang - Picks & Predictions

Johnny Walker vs. Zhang Mingyang - Light Heavyweight Division

• Our pick: Zhang Mingywang (-390) at FanDuel

Brian Ortega vs. Aljamain Sterling - Featherweight Division

• Our pick: Brian Ortega (+220) at FanDuel

Sergei Pavlovich vs. Waldo Cortes-Acosta - Heavyweight Division

• Our pick: Sergei Pavlovich (-235) at FanDuel

Sumudaerji vs. Kevin Borjas - Flyweight Division

• Our pick: Sumudaerji (-162) at FanDuel

Taiyilake Nueraji vs. Kiefer Crosbie - Welterweight Division

• Our pick: Taiyilake Nueraji (-430) at FanDuel

Johnny Walker vs. Zhang Mingyang - Light Heavyweight Division

This event's main attraction pits Johnny Walker against China's own Zhang Mingyang in Shanghai, so you know who the fans will be cheering for. But even with his countrymen behind him, Zhang's got a mountain to climb against Walker if he wants to walk away victorious.

Arriving here on the back of two straight losses, Johnny Walker will be looking to rebuild some momentum. His last bout against Volkan Oezdemir didn’t make it past the first round, with a clean right uppercut forcing the referee to stop the fight. Currently ranked at number 13, Walker will be keen to bounce back and get into the top 10, but this could go either way.

Appearing at his second UFC event in his home country, Zhang will be going into this one with a lot of confidence, having won each of his last 12 fights. A staggering 10 of those victories have come by knockout, and he will be confident of treating the home crowd to another spectacle.

Despite the size disadvantage, we’ve got the home fighter winning this one, and you can bet on Zhang to win with -390 odds today at FanDuel.

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Brian Ortega vs. Aljamain Sterling - Featherweight Division

The bout between Brian Ortega and Aljamain Sterling will be one to watch, as it will have a huge impact on who will be next up to face the current Featherweight Champion, Alexander Volkanovski. Both competitors are looking to bounce back after recent losses and gain some traction in the division.

Brian Ortega arrives in Shanghai on the back of a defeat by unanimous decision in September 2024. That was Ortega’s third loss in his last four fights, but he is a skilled fighter who aims to finish fights with his opponent tapping, a feat he has achieved eight times throughout his 15-year career. It will be interesting to see if he can get Sterling to quit in their next bout.

Although he was the unanimous loser in his last bout with top-ranked Featherweight challenger Mosvar Evloev, Sterling has shown he has what it takes in the UFC, as he is currently seventh in line to face the champion. The New York native is great on the mat and favors a rear-naked choke, and this one's going to be a really interesting fight, since both fighters have similar styles.

Even though the underdog in this fight, we have the slight underdog Brian Ortega walking away victorious, and he is sitting at +200 odds with FanDuel at the time of writing.

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Sergei Pavlovich vs. Waldo Cortes-Acosta - Heavyweight Division

Heavyweight Champion Tom Aspinall will be keeping a close eye on this clash, as it features two of the heaviest hitters the division has to offer in Sergei Pavlovich and Waldo Cortes-Acosta.

Pavlovich steps into this one after coming out on top in a real battle with Jairzinho Rozenstruik back in February, where he walked away the unanimous victor. The Russian fighter packs a serious punch, having finished 15 opponents with his fists, and it will be interesting to see if he can inflict the same punishment on Cortes-Acosta.

Dominican Cortes-Acosta has only had one blot on his mixed-martial arts record, coming back in 2023 in his bout with Marcos Rogerio de Lima. Since then, he has had a string of five victories, with the last being against Serghei Spivac in June. He's on a roll leading up to this fight, but it'll be interesting to see how he handles what might be his most formidable opponent yet in the third-ranked Pavlovich.

The Russian Pavlovich is the favorite in this clash, and you can bet on him with -235 odds at FanDuel.

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Sumudaerji vs. Kevin Borjas - Flyweight Division

This Flyweight faceoff features two fighters who are looking to get themselves into the top 15 and potentially earn a chance to be in contention for the championship.

Sumudaerji, who holds the moniker “The Tibetan Eagle,” sneaked through against Mitch Raposo via split decision, ending a run of three successive defeats. He will have the crowd behind him, and let’s see if he can use that to his advantage.

Kevin Borjas has a mountain to climb if he wants to leave victorious, as he will most certainly feel unwelcome in Shanghai this weekend. He is a fighter who favors a TKO, which he has been able to do eight times during his career, and he will be aiming to do the same against Sumudaerji. 

We are expecting Sumudaerji to take this one with -162 odds at FanDuel.

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Taiyilake Nueraji vs. Kiefer Crosbie - Welterweight Division

The first fight on the main card sees Chinese-native Taiyilake Nueraji take on the Irishman Kiefer Crosbie. Each fighter will be looking to pick up their first win with the UFC, making this an interesting watch.

Nueraji is making his UFC debut, and he will certainly fancy his chances of making a winning start in his home country. His last fight came with Shui Combat, stopping the Uzbek fighter  Kirill “Warrior” Karpekin with a series of left hooks. The 24-year-old is undefeated in his career so far, and he certainly won’t be looking to add a loss in front of a crowd who are fully in his corner.

Crosbie is similarly green in the UFC, with only two fights in the promotion under his belt. Both of those saw the Irishman tap out in the first round, and he will be looking to add a win to his resume and show the world’s biggest martial arts promotion that he has what it takes. 

The debutant, Taiyilake Nueraji, is the one bookies think will win this bout, and you can bet on him with -350 odds at FanDuel. 

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How to Watch UFC Fight Night: Walker vs. Zhang

• Location: Shanghai Indoor Stadium, Xuhui District, China

• When: Saturday, August 23

• Time: 6 AM ET

• How: ESPN+