SHANGHAI, Aug. 23 (Xinhua) -- China's Zhang Mingyang lost via technical knockout to Brazilian Johnny Walker in the second round of the main event at UFC Shanghai on Saturday.
Roared on by a deafening home crowd, Zhang entered as the favorite and made a fast start. In the opening round, Walker - despite saying pre-fight that he would not wrestle - shot immediately for a takedown. Zhang reversed the position on the Brazilian jiu-jitsu brown belt and landed hammerfists. Back on the feet, the Chinese light heavyweight connected with several clean strikes upstairs.
The second round began in similar fashion, with Zhang landing early. Walker then shifted momentum with a series of leg kicks - first checking Zhang's attempts with sharp counters, then attacking the lead leg directly. A heavy low kick sent Zhang to the canvas, and Walker followed with ground-and-pound. With his leg compromised, Zhang could not get back to his feet and was forced to cover up, prompting referee Mark Goddard to step in.
In the co-main event, Aljamain Sterling earned a unanimous 50-45 decision over Brian Ortega. The featherweights largely stayed at range in the early rounds, with Sterling controlling the center and forcing Ortega to circle. Exchanges increased in the third as Ortega moved forward, but Sterling's movement and counters proved effective.
The final two rounds saw more grappling exchanges, with Ortega hunting for submissions from his guard. Sterling, a black belt himself, avoided danger and closed the fight by posturing up inside Ortega's guard to land hard hammerfists.
Heavyweight Sergei Pavlovich won a tense three-round decision over Waldo Cortes-Acosta. Both men, known for knockout power, remained cautious for much of the fight, with Pavlovich gradually taking control to secure the win.
China's Taiyilake Nueraji made a successful UFC debut, stopping Ireland's Kiefer Crosbie in the first round. After early grappling exchanges, Nueraji landed an illegal knee to the head of a grounded Crosbie, drawing a two-point deduction from referee Mark Goddard. Once the action resumed, Nueraji poured on pressure and finished with a flurry of elbows on the ground.
Also on the main card, Sumudaerji edged Peru's Kevin Borjas by unanimous decision in a back-and-forth flyweight contest. "The Tibetan Eagle" kept Borjas at distance with straight punches and looping kicks.
On the prelims, Yizha and Rongzhu delivered strong performances for China. Yizha knocked out Westin Wilson inside the first minute, while Rongzhu earned a clear unanimous decision over Austin Hubbard after stuffing takedowns and dominating the stand-up.
Elsewhere, Maheshate dropped a unanimous decision to America's Gauge Young, while Xiao Long lost a razor-thin verdict to South Korea's You Su-young.
Kyle Daukaus marked his UFC return with a first-round TKO of Michel Pereira, and Charles Johnson knocked out British-Chinese prospect Lone'er Kavanagh in the second round.
In the opening bout, Uran Satybaldiev of Kazakhstan secured a rare Ezekiel choke submission against Kyrgyzstan's Diyar Nurgozhay in the first round. ■
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