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2h ago

UFC Shanghai Co-Main Saved at 153 Pounds After Weigh-In Scare as Walker–Zhang Tops Card

After Ortega’s weight-cut complications prompted reports of a cancellation, the UFC reclassified his bout with Sterling at the scale to a 153-pound catchweight to keep the five-round matchup on the card.

8/23/2025
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Brian Ortega
8/23/2025

Overview

  • The UFC confirmed Brian Ortega and Aljamain Sterling both weighed 153 pounds, moving their co-main from featherweight to a 153-pound catchweight.
  • Earlier reports said Ortega did not make it to the scale and that the fight was off, but an official update restored the matchup at the new limit.
  • The main event between Johnny Walker (206) and Zhang Mingyang (205) remains a scheduled five-round light heavyweight bout, with both fighters making weight.
  • Sterling had criticized the decision to book the non-title co-main for five rounds without additional pay, a point he raised in interviews during fight week.
  • Betting analysis and expert picks favored Zhang based on his first-round KO streak, while Walker enters on back-to-back knockout losses as the UFC returns to mainland China.