Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

Johnny Walker Breaks Unwanted Curse With UFC Shanghai Win

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Kevin Binoy | Last updated Aug 23, 2025 12:15 PM ET

Johnny Walker walked into UFC Shanghai with the odds stacked firmly against him. Coming off back-to-back losses, dismissed by most pundits, and written off by plenty of fans, the Brazilian light heavyweight had a lot riding on his showdown with Mingyang Zhang.

On top of that, he carried the burden of a strange, unwelcome storyline Brazilian fighters had been cursed with defeat after defeat in 2025. But when the cage door closed, none of that seemed to matter. Walker needed just two rounds to flip the script, delivering a thunderous knockout that not only ended his skid but also snapped the unlucky streak haunting his fellow countrymen.

It’s been a rough year for Brazilian fighters in UFC main events. Ten times in 2025 a Brazilian has headlined either a pay-per-view or a Fight Night card—and ten times they’ve come up short.

The list includes big names like Amanda Ribas, Renato Moicano, Gregory Rodrigues, Alex Pereira, Diego Lopes, Carlos Prates, Deiveson Figueiredo, Gilbert Burns, Charles Oliveira and Tallison Teixeira. Four of those defeats were in title fights, with Pereira losing his light heavyweight belt to Magomed Ankalaev in March, while Moicano, Lopes, and Oliveira all failed in their own bids for gold.

Johnny Walker gets the upset and ends the Brazilian UFC main event curse in 2025.

Brazilian fighters were 0-10 so far this in year, and Walker is the hero.
— Guilherme Cruz (@guicruzzz) August 23, 2025

Up until now, it felt like every big opportunity slipped away. But thanks to Johnny Walker’s knockout win in Shanghai, the streak is finally broken. Brazilian fighters now sit at 1-10 in main events this year.

A Closer Look at How the Fight Played Out

Johnny Walker crashed Zhang Mingyang’s big night in Shanghai, silencing the home crowd with a stunning comeback victory. In the first UFC card held in China in six years, Walker flipped the script in the main event, snapping his two-fight losing streak with a brutal second-round TKO.

It wasn’t smooth sailing, though. Zhang came out firing in Round 1, landing heavy shots and forcing Walker on the back foot. But the Brazilian hung in there, regrouped, and switched tactics after the break. Targeting Zhang’s lead leg, Walker landed a vicious calf kick that clearly hurt his opponent, then followed up with another that sent Zhang crashing down. With his rival on the mat, Walker pounced, raining down ground-and-pound until the fight was stopped at 2:37 of the second round.

Grinning afterward, Walker joked, “My kick is awesome, right?” before praising Zhang’s toughness and calling the win an unforgettable experience.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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