UFC Fight Night 257: Full Card Details, Main Event Breakdown

The UFC announced back in May that it’d be returning to Shanghai for UFC Fight Night 257 on August 23. No fights were announced for the card at the time, but now, with the event just around the corner, we have all the details, from the main event to the prelims, and everything in between. In the wake of an unbelievable UFC 319 card with a much talked about crowning of Khamzat Chimaev as Middleweight champion, expectations to follow that up in Shanghai will be important.

Full schedule for the UFC Fight Night 257

Main Card

• Johnny Walker – Zhang Mingyang (Light Heavyweight bout)
• Brian Ortega – Aljamain Sterling (Featherweight bout)
• Sergei Pavlovich – Waldo Cortes Acosta (Heavyweight bout)
• Sumudaerji – Kevin Borjas (Flyweight bout)
• Taiyilake Nueraji – Kiefer Crosbie (Welterweight bout)

Prelims

• Maheshate – Gauge Young (Lightweight bout)
• Lone’er Kavanagh – Charles Johnson (Flyweight bout)
• Rongzhu – Austin Hubbard (Lightweight bout)
• Michel Pereira – Kyle Daukaus (Middleweight bout)
• Yizha – Westin Wilson (Featherweight bout)
• Xiao Long – SuYoung You (Bantamweight bout)
• Uran Satybaldiev – Diyar Nurgozhay (Light Heavyweight bout)

About the headline event – Walker vs Zhang

Johnny Walker, facing off against Zhang Mingyang, is the main event of the night. On the one hand is Walker, a powerful striker and veteran of the lightweight division with a 21-9 record. On the other hand is Zhang (19-6), a rising contender who’s recently entered the top 15 rankings after defeating Anthony Smith by KO this past April. 

Walker will be looking to climb up the rankings by triumphing over Zhang. However, the Mountain Tiger is no small challenge. Fighting out of Anhui, China, Zhang boasts incredible finishing ability. All his 19 victories so far were finished in the very first round.

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Co-main event – Ortega vs Sterling

The co-main event is an All-American Clash between Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu specialists. Ortega is on a mission to claim the UFC featherweight title. After unsuccessfully challenging Max Holloway and Alexander Volkanovski for the belt in the past, winning over Sterling will propel him to another run at the title.

Sterling is a former UFC bantamweight champion who’s recently moved up to the featherweight division. He’s known for his smothering wrestling and pressure striking, which earned him a decision win over Calvin Kattar in his first featherweight bout. He stumbled in a loss to the undefeated Movsar Evloev a few months later, so to truly become a contender, he needs to successfully stave off the advance of Ortega on August 23.

The UFC in China

The last time the UFC was in Shanghai was in November 2017, when Kelvin Gastelum achieved a first-round knockout victory over Michael Bisping, who went on to retire after the fight. The UFC has since spent nearly 8 years away from China, especially with the COVID-19 pandemic halting live events for years. The promotion returned only in November 2024 for a Fight Night show in Macau, where former champion Petr Yan defeated Deiveson Figueiredo in the main event.

This highly anticipated return to China will be the fourth UFC event in mainland China and eighth overall in Greater China. On August 22, the day before Fight Night, the Season 4: Road to UFC semifinals will also take place at the same venue.