The stakes are high as light heavyweights Johnny Walker and Zhang Mingyang headline UFC Fight Night 257 this Saturday in Shanghai. Zhang enters as a huge favorite on home soil and will look to stay undefeated in UFC competition. He will look to pick up another win and stay in the light heavyweight rankings. Continue reading to get my Johnny Walker vs Zhang Mingyang prediction for Saturday’s fight.
Our Johnny Walker vs Zhang Mingyang Pick
- Pick: Zhang Mingyang by knockout
- Confidence: 3/5
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Tale of the Tape
| Attribute | Johnny Walker | Zhang Mingyang |
|---|---|---|
| Age | 33 | 27 |
| Reach | 82″ | 75.5″ |
| Stance | Orthodox | Orthodox |
| Record | 21–9 (1 NC) | 19–6 |
Johnny Walker vs Zhang Mingyang Preview
Johnny Walker arrives in Shanghai on a two-fight losing streak. He has lost by knockout to Volkan Oezdemir and Magomed Ankalaev and he hasn’t won a fight since May of 2023. Walker’s defending will need to be better in this matchup against a potent striker in Zhang. But it’s possible that the best defense for Walker in this fight is a good offense and that he will need to use his own weapons to neutralize the damage Zhang can do.
Zhang Mingyang is on a 12-fight win streak and all of those 12 straight wins have come by knockout or submission. He is 3-0 in UFC with first-round knockout wins over Brendson Ribeiro, Ozzy Diaz, and Anthony Smith. He’s secured multiple Performance of the Night bonuses and stands at #14 in the UFC Light Heavyweight rankings. This fight is a great chance for Zhang to showcase what he can do and to move up in the rankings on home soil.
Betting Insights
- Zhang Mingyang is the heavy favorite across sportsbooks. He is -375 to get the win and Walker is +295 to pull off the upset.
- The over/under for this fight is set at 1.5 rounds and the under is heavily favored at -315. We are not expected to see a long fight in this matin event matchup.
- Zhang has not seen the second round of a fight since 2018.
- Walker’s last three losses have come by knockout.
Johnny Walker vs Zhang Mingyang Prediction
These fighters appear to be moving in different directions in the UFC’s light heavyweight division. Walker is on the way down and hasn’t won a fight in over two years. Zhang has been on fire and appears to be moving closer to championship contention in this division. We should see both of these fighters continue to move in those directions in this fight.
Zhang should get another first-round stoppage win in this fight. He is likely to win by knockout thanks to his elite striking and Walker’s inability to defend against quality striking of late. Betting Zhang by knockout comes at a better price than his moneyline and that appears to be the best direction to go in this main event matchup.
