The UFC’s second trip to China in 9 months, but first to Shanghai since 2017 was headlined by a rising Chinese star in a matchup that guaranteed fireworks. Though the fight itself delivered on the fireworks, rising no more is Zhang Mingyang as he was stopped by the predictably unpredictable Johnny Walker in the UFC Shanghai main event. The co-main event saw top 10 featherweights Brian Ortega and Aljamain Sterling meet in a bout that had real stakes but didn’t offer much as a viewing experience. A clash between top 10 heavyweights and a couple of Chinese prospects rounded out the card. As we move on from China to Paris, let’s first look at what should be next for our victors.
Johnny Walker
Johnny Walker kept up with his whimsical tendencies, somehow ending up on bottom just five seconds into the fight. His opponent, Zhang Mingyang had never won a fight that went past the first round. Despite facing some adversity in the first five minutes against the clearly very dangerous Zhang, the Brazilian survived the initial onslaught and got a TKO finish in the second round after landing some heavy calf kicks. This was an important win for Walker to keep his position as a flawed, but entertaining member of this division. He tried to call out Jan Blachowicz, but I’m doubtful this victory will move him far up enough to warrant a name like that. Instead, I think the UFC probably just looks to book the Bogdan Guskov fight again. It was an intriguing matchup back when it was booked in January, but fast forward a couple of wins for each and it just got even more interesting.
Walker’s next fight: Bogdan Guskov
Aljamain Sterling
It wasn’t the most thrilling affair, but the former bantamweight champion did get back in the win column, earning a wide unanimous decision victory over Brian Ortega. In terms of name value, the win is nice for Sterling, but it won’t do much for his case in the title picture at featherweight. It was more about Ortega looking old than Sterling putting on a masterclass. At 36, he knows that if he is to go on a title run in his new division, the time is now. Even he acknowledged feeling the age a bit more in his post-fight interview. It probably explains why despite knowing he didn’t put on a show, he still tried to shoot his shot at Alexander Volkanovski. There is simply no way he will be rewarded with a title shot after this fight. The good thing for Aljo is he’s not alone in his boat floating in limbo. Yair Rodriguez also suffered a bad loss to the current champion and is coming off a pretty lacklustre win himself. This makes the matchmaking fairly straightforward, in my opinion. Let’s book the Funk Master vs El Pantera and see who of two can produce a highlight reel worthy of an exit from purgatory.
Sterling’s next fight: Yair Rodriguez
Sergei Pavlovich
Though he got back in the win column earlier this year against Jairzinho Rozenstruik, Sergei Pavlovich wasn’t a fan of his performance in that fight. Even if he went to the judges’ scorecards once again, Pavlovich looked a lot more purposeful and confident this time around. The fight mainly went the distance due to Waldo Cortes-Acosta somehow eating the big bombs that Pavlovich has folded people with, in the past. While getting back-to-back wins is important after suffering consecutive losses, that is now four fights where the Russian has failed to deliver one of his previously signature knockouts. For that reason, I expect him to have to fight backwards once more before getting the opportunity to get back into the title picture. The next card has a fight between perennial top 10 heavyweight Marcin Tybura and former PFL champion Ante Delija on it. The winner would be a fitting opponent for Pavlovich, at this point in time.
Pavlovich’s next fight: Tybura/Delija winner
Sumudaerji
Sumudaerji earned a second consecutive win as he comfortably outpointed Kevin Borjas over the course of three rounds. After overcoming a three-fight skid against veterans Matt Schnell, Tim Elliott and Charles Johnson, the Chinese fighter has now found some momentum again. I don’t think he should be headed for the rankings again just yet, but he’s probably just one fight away. Other streaking unranked flyweights like Allan Nascimento and Andre Lima could be fine options, but I went with Rafael Estevam. The undefeated Estevam has missed weight twice in three UFC bouts, so there is a chance he will be forced to move up a division. But as long as the promotion is willing to keep him at 125lbs, he’s the right opponent for Sumudaerji.
Sumudaerji’s next fight: Rafael Estevam
Taiyilake Nueraji
The 24-year-old Nueraji came into this fight with an 11-1 record, including ten first-round finishes, with nine coming by knockout. Not everyone making their short notice debut would get main card treatment, but he did, and that speaks to what the UFC believe they have in him. However, a blatant foul as he kneed Kiefer Crosbie in the head while he was down really does put an asterisk to this performance. He was dominating before the foul, but it’s still impossible to ignore its impact. Despite what looked like a promising debut, I don’t think Nueraji gets to earn an upgrade in his level of competition. He needs to pretend like he still hasn’t debuted. Someone like Preston Parsons is always a good opponent to test prospects like this.
Nueraji’s next fight: Preston Parsons
