The UFC returns to Shanghai, China on Saturday (August 23) for a UFC Fight Night event, and MMA KO’s Drew Beaupré is here to provide predictions for all 12 fights on the card.
The event is headlined by a clash by top-ranked light heavyweight contenders Johnny Walker and Mingyang Zhang, who enters the night on a 12-fight win streak that includes four-straight knockouts in the UFC and Road to UFC.
The night’s co-main event looked like it might be scrapped on weigh-in day, but now Brian Ortega and former UFC Bantamweight Champion Aljamain Sterling are set to meet in a huge catchweight bout after they were originally scheduled to fight at 145 lbs.
Johnny Walker vs. Mingyang Zhang
Table of Contents
- Johnny Walker vs. Mingyang Zhang
- Brian Ortega vs. Aljamain Sterling
- Sergei Pavlovich vs. Waldo Cortes-Acosta
- Sumudaerji vs. Kevin Borjas
- Taiyilake Nueraji vs. Kiefer Crosbie
- Maheshate vs. Gauge Young
- Lone’er Kavanagh vs. Charles Johnson
- Rongzhu vs. Austin Hubbard
- Michel Pereira vs. Kyle Daukaus
- Yizha vs. Westin Wilson
- Long Xiao vs. Su Young You
- Diyar Nurgozhay vs. Uran Satybaldiev
I hate fights where it feels like the UFC is setting one fighter up to get knocked out. Even though Walker might get folded in the opening minute against Zhang, I’m still going to pick him to utilize his reach advantage and stay out of danger in what may end up being a slow-paced fight.
(Pick: Walker)
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Brian Ortega vs. Aljamain Sterling
I probably still would have sided with Sterling here even before the bizarre sequence of events that led to this matchup being changed to a catchweight, and hopefully Ortega isn’t putting himself at any additional risk by going ahead with this fight.
(Pick: Sterling)
Sergei Pavlovich vs. Waldo Cortes-Acosta
Cortes-Acosta has pulled off a couple of upsets during his current winning streak, but I think that five-fight run of victories will come to an end in this matchup with Pavlovich.
(Pick: Pavlovich)
Sumudaerji vs. Kevin Borjas
This should hopefully be an entertaining flyweight scrap to kick off the UFC Shanghai main card, and unfortunately Sumudaerji’s Octagon run might come to an end here if he suffers a fourth loss out of his last five fights.
(Pick: Borjas)
Taiyilake Nueraji vs. Kiefer Crosbie
Crosbie also comes into this matchup in a precarious position after starting his UFC career with back-to-back losses, while Nueraji enters his promotional debut on a five-fight win streak where he’s finished every opponent he’s faced.
(Pick: Nueraiji)
Maheshate vs. Gauge Young
This is a well-matched lightweight bout where both men are in need of a victory, and I’ll slightly lean with Maheshate to feed off the energy of the Shanghai crowd to pick up a big win.
(Pick: Maheshate)
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Lone’er Kavanagh vs. Charles Johnson
Talented as Kavanagh may be, I have to pick the experienced veteran Johnson to score an upset here after having a lengthy win streak halted by Razaman Temirov in his last outing.
(Pick: Johnson)
Rongzhu vs. Austin Hubbard
Rongzhu pulled off a sizeable upset in his last matchup against Kody Steele, but even though Hubbard isn’t the highest-profile name he’s still a well-rounded fighter that has the skills needed to pull off a decent-sized upset.
(Pick: Hubbard)
Michel Pereira vs. Kyle Daukaus
Daukaus had a strong post-UFC run in Cage Fury FC to earn a second opportunity with the promotion, but Pereira is in serious need of a win here and is a difficult opponent to face for your return fight.
(Pick: Pereira)
Yizha vs. Westin Wilson
Even though the staggering odds on this matchup make me want to root for a Wilson upset, I have to side with Yizha to return to the win column and potentially score a big finish in his home country.
(Pick: Yizha)
Long Xiao vs. Su Young You
It’s surprising to see You as the lone South Korean on this card given that the UFC often tries to load up international cards with both local and regional talent, but I do think “Yoo-Jitsu” can add to his undefeated UFC record when he takes on Xiao.
(Pick: Xiao)
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Diyar Nurgozhay vs. Uran Satybaldiev
Nurgozhay is under a lot of pressure after suffering an upset-loss in his UFC debut, but Satybaldeiv is also looking to score his first Octagon victory and boasts a significant reach advantage in this light heavyweight matchup.
(Pick: Satybaldiev)
MMA KO will be providing comprehensive coverage for UFC Fight Night Shanghai all throughout fight week, and be sure to check back on our homepage tomorrow for live results and highlights on fight night.
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