UFC light heavyweight Mingyang Zhang doesn’t feel the pressure of fighting on home soil against Johnny Walker at UFC Shanghai on Saturday.
“It’s true that I’m under a lot of pressure, but I have adjusted in my mind. Now I’m enjoying the process and the fight itself more. I believe that everything will come naturally to me,” Zhang told reporters through a translator on Wednesday.
“So I don’t have too much expectation of myself. I’m just an athlete, a fighter, what I’m trying to do is get my job done.”
Zhang (19-6) brings a 3-fight UFC win streak into UFC Shanghai. A victory over the #13 ranked Walker could launch Zhang into the top 10 and maybe even something bigger.
“The more fights I put on more people can know me. I would like to become China’s first male UFC champion. That is my goal. I know that it is a tough road, a bumpy road, but I know what I have to do and I know what my goal is. Now I have burnt all my boats so let’s all expect what we can get from this game,” he said.
“Let’s enjoy the process. Let’s enjoy this journey itself.”
The title is the goal, but a good way to get there would be to defeat a former champion. Maybe even the Samurai out of the Czech Republic?
Jiri Prochazka would be a welcome fight for Zhang.
“I would love to fight him. He’s ranked higher and you can imagine what is the premise for me to fight him in a proper (fight),” he said.
“I understand that there are a lot of stories online between us and I like that. More people can know our names. I like his style that is the Samurai or the Japanese warrior. I am the style of traditional Chinese martial artist. I would be very interested to fight him.”
Watch the entire media day scrum with Minyang Zhang above. He headlines UFC Shanghai against Johnny Walker on Saturday.
