*Zhang Mingyang lands a brutal elbow to the head of Anthony Smith. Credit: Zuffa LLC.*

The UFC heads to Mercedes-Benz Arena in Shanghai, China, with an outstanding Fight Night card. Throughout, it has been packed full of exciting matchups and rising talent looking to establish themselves in the premier MMA promotion. In the co-main event, we’ll see a matchup of two top-tier grapplers when former Bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling takes on perennial Featherweight contender Brian Ortega. In the main event, two powerful Light Heavyweight scrappers go toe-to-toe when dangerous knockout artist Johnny Walker faces off against heavy-handed brawler Zhang Mingyang. Let’s take a look at the fights on the main card.

Taiyilake Nueraji vs. Kiefer Crosbie

Welterweight Bout

Taiyilake Nueraji: 11-1-0, 10 KO/TKO, 1 Sub.

Kiefer Crosbie: 10-5-0, 5 KO/TKO, 2 Sub.

Nueraji is on a five-fight win streak and making his UFC debut. He’s a vicious, aggressive striker who’s always pushing the pace. He comes out guns blazing, constantly looking to close the distance and brawl in the pocket from the opening bell. Nueraji has an impressive arsenal of flashy, creative moves, including a variety of jumping and spinning attacks. He regularly switches stances and is almost purely an offensive fighter, always willing to eat a shot to land one, and rarely bringing his hands up. Training at Enbo Fight Club, he throws with both power and volume, regularly extending long combinations and unloading six or seven hooks consecutively. Nueraji has produced five knockouts in less than two minutes and is very dangerous early on.

*Kiefer Crosbie fires a front kick to the body of Kevin Jousset. Credit: MMA Junkie.*

Crosbie has won two of his last five fights and is looking for his first UFC victory. He’s a heavy-handed scrapper who’s constantly looking to throw down in the pocket. He’s always coming forward, regularly blitzing into range to unload heavy, looping hooks and overhands. Crosbie rarely takes a backwards step, always staying in his opponent’s face and pushing the action. Training at SBG Ireland, he has a brown belt in BJJ and won’t typically pursue grappling scenarios, but will throw heavy ground and pound if he ends up in top position. He can do severe damage without much space, especially inside the clinch with his elbows and knees. Crosbie leaves everything inside the cage and rarely sees the judges’ scorecards, with his last six fights all ending inside the distance.

Sumudaerji vs. Kevin Borjas

*Sumudaerji tags Mitcho Raposo with a jab. Credit: Zuffa LLC.*

Flyweight Bout

Sumudaerji: 17-7-0, 13 KO/TKO, 1 Sub.

Kevin Borjas: 10-3-0, 8 KO/TKO, 0 Sub.

Sumudaerji has won three of his last five bouts and has UFC victories over Malcolm Gordon (14-8-0), Andre Soukhamthath (14-10-0), and Mitch Raposo (9-3-0). He’s a dangerous scrapper with a lethal arsenal of kicks. He’s highly accurate and throws every shot with knockout intentions, typically favoring power to volume. He remains technical throughout, constantly firing his jab before unloading heavy kicks. Sumudaerji has excellent distance management but isn’t the most mobile striker, often standing still in front of his opponents while looking to counter-strike. Training at Enbo Fight Club, he’s unlikely to initiate grappling exchanges but has solid defensive wrestling and has successfully defended 67% of takedowns attempted on him in the UFC. Sumudaerji always comes out guns blazing, with eleven of his thirteen knockouts coming in round one.

*Kevin Borjas lands a vicious right hand on Ronaldo Rodríguez. Credit: Ag. Fight.*

Borjas has won three of his last five outings, holding a UFC victory over Ronaldo Rodríguez (17-3-0). He’s a technical, powerful striker who’s always looking to let his hands go. He fights behind his jab, constantly pumping it out to set up his best shot, a straight right. Borjas has excellent footwork and distance management, rarely throwing kicks but always keeping his opponent on the end of his punches. He’s accurate and throws every shot with power and purpose, varying his attacks well and regularly ending combinations with body shots. Training at Pitbull Martial Arts, he hasn’t landed a takedown in the UFC but has shown solid reversals and get-ups when it goes to the mat. Borjas has secured half of his victories via first-round knockout, but he has solid cardio and remains dangerous at all times.

#3 Sergei Pavlovich vs. #6 Waldo Cortes-Acosta

*Sergei Pavlovich charges forward at Tai Tuivasa while throwing a left hook. Credit: MMA Junkie.*

Heavyweight Bout

Sergei Pavlovich: 19-3-0, 15 KO/TKO, 0 Sub.

Waldo Cortes-Acosta: 14-1-0, 6 KO/TKO, 1 Sub.

Pavlovich has won three of his last five fights and has UFC victories over #4 ranked Heavyweight Curtis Blaydes (19-5-0), #9 ranked Heavyweight Derrick Lewis (29-12-0), and #10 ranked Heavyweight Tai Tuivasa (15-8-0). One of the most destructive punchers in the sport, he comes out guns blazing, always on the hunt for a knockout from the second the fight begins. He fights behind his jab and always throws in combination, constantly coming forward and forcing his opponent to the outside. Pavlovich rarely throws kicks, instead looking to close the distance and let his hands go inside the pocket. Training at American Top Team, he doesn’t need much space to do significant damage and throws everything with bad intentions. He has one-shot knockout power, with all fifteen of his knockouts coming in round one. Eight of Pavlovich’s last ten fights haven’t left the first round, and he pushes a heavy pace at all times.

*Waldo Cortes-Acosta unloads brutal ground and pound strikes onto Robelis Despaigne. Credit: Zuffa LLC.*

Acosta is on a five-fight winning streak, with UFC victories coming over #8 ranked Heavyweight Serghei Spivac (17-6-0), Ryan Spann (23-11-0), and Andrei Arlovski (34-24-0). He is a powerful striker with big-time power and a dangerous right hand. He throws everything with power, regularly coming forward to unload wide hooks and devastating overhands. Training at UKF Gym, Acosta is most at home in a brawl, working inside the pocket and firing knees and elbows in the clinch. He tends to favor power to volume, unloading single shots with knockout intentions. While he won’t usually initiate grappling exchanges, he has demonstrated a solid ability to return to his feet. Acosta is defensively sound and won’t usually absorb much damage, having outlanded seven of his last eight opponents.

#5 Brian Ortega vs. #7 Aljamain Sterling

*Brian Ortega attempts to submit Alexander Volkanovski with a tight guillotine choke. Credit: Zuffa LLC.*

Featherweight Bout

Brian Ortega: 16-4-0, 3 KO/TKO, 8 Sub.

Aljamain Sterling: 24-5-0, 3 KO/TKO, 8 Sub.

Ortega has won two of his last five bouts and has UFC victories over #3 ranked Featherweight Yair Rodríguez (21-5-0), #11 ranked Lightweight Renato Moicano (20-7-1), and Chan Sung Jung (17-8-0). He’s a well-rounded fighter with technical striking and a slick submission game. He has solid power and speed in his hands, throwing everything tight and straight and never telegraphing his shots. He has a granite chin and excellent cardio, never backing down or slowing his pace. Ortega advances lightning-fast on the ground, often chaining submissions together and easily transitioning between them. Training at Huntington Beach UTC, he has flashy attacks to back up his technical skill, often attempting flying knees and spinning attacks. He varies his shots well, attacking the head and body evenly and regularly landing brutal leg kicks. All of Ortega’s submissions have come via choke, and he possesses one of the best triangle chokes in MMA.

*Aljamain Sterling rains down heavy shots onto Petr Yan. Credit: Fight Sports.*

Sterling has won three of his last five outings, holding UFC victories over #3 ranked Bantamweight Petr Yan (19-5-0), #4 ranked Bantamweight Cory Sandhagen (18-5-0), and #11 ranked Bantamweight Henry Cejudo (16-5-0). He’s an excellent grappler, possessing fantastic wrestling and a lethal submission game. He has smothering top control, regularly posturing up to do damage while looking for submission openings. Sterling has solid kickboxing to back up his grappling, with impressive speed in both his hands and kicks. He has the cardio to push a furious pace for all 25 minutes, whether on the feet or the ground. Training with the Serra-Longo Fight Team, he’s landing, on average, about five takedowns per fight in his last five appearances. Seven of Sterling’s eight submissions have come via some choke, so he’s extremely dangerous if he can find his opponent’s neck.

#13 Johnny Walker vs. #14 Zhang Mingyang

*Johnny Walker throws a powerful kick to the head of Anthony Smith. Credit: Zuffa LLC.*

Light Heavyweight Bout

Johnny Walker: 21-9-0, 16 KO/TKO, 3 Sub.

Zhang Mingyang: 19-6-0, 13 KO/TKO, 6 Sub.

Walker has won two of his last five fights with one No Contest and has wins over #4 ranked Light Heavyweight Khalil Rountree Jr. (15-6-0), Anthony Smith (38-22-0), and Ryan Spann (23-11-0). He is a lengthy, unorthodox striker with an outstanding kicking game. He’s in perpetual motion and will often float along the outside, looking to control the pace and distance. Although not as wild as when he first entered the UFC, he still possesses an arsenal of flashy attacks and can produce a highlight-reel knockout at any time. He’s a massive 6’6”, typically possessing a height and reach advantage, and uses it well, constantly battering his opponents with strikes from range. Training at SBG Ireland, Walker won’t typically take it to the mat but will land devastating ground and pound if he finds himself in top position. In his thirty professional fights, Walker has only gone the distance four times, and he always leaves everything inside the cage.

*Zhang Mingyang fires an overhand right at Ozzy Diaz. Credit: Yahoo Sports.*

Zhang is on an eleven-fight win streak and has UFC victories over Anthony Smith (38-22-0), Brendson Ribeiro (17-8-0), and Ozzy Diaz (10-3-0). He is a prolific finisher with dangerous power in his hands. He always comes out guns blazing, constantly coming forward and looking to close the distance to unload bombs inside the pocket. Zhang is always seeking a knockout and willing to brawl, but remains technical throughout the fight, keeping his shots tight and straight without telegraphing them. He’s strong in the clinch and has solid takedowns, working quickly in top position and regularly looking to posture up to land brutal ground and pound. Training at Xtreme Couture, he has excellent chokes and will pursue them even when standing, and he has secured five of his six submissions via rear-naked choke. Zhang has produced all of his finish victories in the first round and has only been to a decision once in his career.

Best Bets

Kevin Borjas Moneyline: This is an outstanding matchup of two exciting Flyweight strikers. Both are highly dangerous on their feet and willing to step into the pocket and exchange. Although both are willing to get into a brawl, Sumudaerji tends to be the more hittable of the two. Shown in both his fights with Charles Johnson and Matt Schnell, he can often get too wild and get caught or put himself in bad positions. I believe Borjas is the more composed, technical fighter of the two, even if it does break down into a brawl. I also think Borjas is the more powerful and dangerous in the pocket, where I anticipate much of this fight playing out. I expect Borjas to control the center of the octagon while constantly damaging Sumudaerji to the head and body with quick combinations. I believe that as the fight continues, Sumudaerji will fade and Borjas will fully take over, controlling the pace and distance en route to an impressive victory.

Pavlovich vs. Cortes-Acosta to Not Go the Distance: Another matchup of dangerous strikers, I’m looking forward to this one. Both of these fighters are heavy-handed scrappers who can produce highlight-reel knockouts at any time. In their combined 37 fights, 62% of those bouts have ended via knockout regardless of the victor, with all of those finishes coming before the third round. Although both have recently fought to decisions, this is a much more favorable matchup for both men to let their hands go, compared to their recent opponents. Both have recently fought against more technical, slower-paced fighters, where they had fewer opportunities to take risks. It’s unlikely either man will pursue takedowns in this fight, and both prefer to fight inside the pocket rather than engage in a rangy kickboxing match. A landmark victory in this matchup would also likely place either fighter into the title conversation. I expect both fighters to meet in the middle of the octagon and let their hands go, with both throwing caution to the wind from the opening bell. With both of these powerful Heavyweights throwing bombs, it won’t take long for someone to find a finish and earn a huge win.

Zhang Mingyang by KO/TKO: Like the majority of this main card and my last two picks, this is another matchup of powerful strikers. Walker is an unorthodox, unpredictable scrapper who will regularly attempt flashy attacks in pursuit of a knockout. Mingyang is much more orthodox, favoring his hands and devastating punching power to secure finishes. Although Walker has a significant experience advantage, he has shown in the last few years that he doesn’t have the most durable chin. He’s suffered brutal knockout losses in back-to-back fights now and seems to have become a much more timid fighter since training at SBG Ireland. Walker is too willing to get backed up and fight off the back foot, and you cannot afford to allow a striker with Mingyang’s power to come forward constantly. I expect Mingyang to blitz Walker from the opening bell, walking him down while unloading heavy combinations. I anticipate Mingyang staying on the gas at all times, forcing Walker to engage in the pocket until finally landing the shot that puts Walker out.

UFC Fight Night: Walker vs. Zhang Preview