UFC Combat Evening 257 (often known as UFC Shanghai) will function the ultimate UFC occasion within the month of August. In case you’re planning on watching this card in your streaming machine of alternative, be ready to sacrifice some shuteye on the night time of Aug 22 going into the morning of Aug. 23.
Stay protection of UFC Combat Evening 257 will begin at 3 am ET/ 12 midnight PT for North American audiences with the undercard.
Foremost card motion follows at 6 am ET/ 3 am PT. ESPN+ will function the vacation spot for viewers seeking to watch the cardboard in america of America.
With UFC Combat Evening 257 looming, there’s no time like proper now to make predictions for the upcoming card. Let’s get began immediately.
UFC Combat Evening 257 Foremost Occasion: Mild Heavyweight: No. 13 Contender Johnny Walker vs. No. 14 Contender Zhang Mingyang
On the high of the invoice in UFC Combat Evening 257, the 205-lb division takes the highlight when No. 13 contender Johnny Walker (21-9, 1 NC MMA, 7-6, 1 NC UFC) meets up with No. 14 contender Zhang Mingyang (19-6 MMA, 3-0 UFC.) It is a five-round struggle at 5 minutes per spherical.
Johnny Walker will likely be coming in having gone 2-2 with one no-contest in his final 5 fights forward of UFC Combat Evening 257. In the meanwhile, he’s dropped two fights in succession.
Again on June 22 of final yr, he was on the mistaken finish of a first-round knockout by means of uppercut vs. Volkan Oezdemir (20-8 MMA, 8-7 UFC) through the promotion’s first go to to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. With Walker having been out of motion for 14 months, what sort of ring rust does he have going into UFC Combat Evening 257?
In the meantime, Zhang Mingyang has posted a document of 5-0 in his final 5 fights as a part of a 12-fight profitable streak. Since becoming a member of the UFC, he’s 3-0.
Final day out, he stopped Anthony Smith (37-22 MMA, 13-12 UFC) inside the primary spherical, sending him into retirement with floor and pound photographs. It was his twelfth straight end earlier than the horn sounded to finish the primary interval.
Mingyang is on a sizzling streak proper now, so that is a simple one to name.
Prediction: Zhang Mingyang by First-Spherical TKO
UFC Combat Evening 257 Co-Foremost Occasion: Catchweight (153 lbs) Bout: No. 4 Contender Brian Ortega vs. No. 7 Contender Aljamain Sterling
Instantly beforehand, the co-main occasion of the night at UFC Combat Evening 257 will happen at a catchweight of 153 lbs. No. 4 contender Brian Ortega (16-4, 1 NC MMA, 8-4, 1 NC UFC) meets up with No. 7 contender Aljamain Sterling (24-5 MMA, 16-5 UFC.) That is additionally a five-round affair at 5 minutes per spherical and was speculated to have been a featherweight struggle.
Ortega will likely be making the stroll on the power of 2-3 in his final 5 fights. Final September on the Las Vegas Sphere for Noche UFC 2, he dropped a unanimous choice to Diego Lopes (26-7 MMA, 5-2 UFC) after three rounds of motion. It is a essential quarter-hour (or much less) of motion within the 145-lb division, so how will Ortega reply?
On the opposite aspect of the Octagon, Sterling is sporting a 3-2 document over his most up-to-date 5 fights. In the course of the Dec. 7 UFC 310 card in Enterprise, NV, he got here out a loser towards Movsar Evloev (19-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC) by unanimous choice.
It’ll be transferring day for sure, and with each of those males coming off of a defeat late final yr, a win will likely be an amazing increase for the victor’s resume.
Prediction: Aljamain Sterling by Unanimous Determination.
UFC Combat Evening 257: Heavyweight Bout: No. 3 Contender Sergei Pavlovich vs. No. 6 Contender Waldo Cortes-Acosta
Earlier on the cardboard, the large boys come to play for a essential bout at 265. No. 3 contender Sergei Pavlovich (19-3 MMA, 7-3 UFC) collides with No. 6 contender Waldo Cortes-Acosta (14-1 MMA, 7-1 UFC.) Pavlovich will likely be making his eleventh stroll within the fabled Octagon with a 3-2 document over the course of his final 5 fights.
On Feb. 1, he returned to the win column because of a unanimous choice over Jairzinho Rozenstruik (15-6 MMA, 9-6 UFC) on the principle card. One other win may web him a shot on the UFC Heavyweight Championship as quickly as his subsequent struggle in early 2026.
So far as Waldo Cortes-Acosta is worried, he’s on a five-fight unbeaten streak heading into this heavyweight fixture on Aug. 23. This previous June, he scored a unanimous choice victory over Serghei Spivac.
With Cortes-Acosta coming in on a fast turnaround, how will he fare this time?
Prediction: Waldo Cortes-Acosta by First-Spherical Knockout.
UFC Combat Evening 257: Flyweight Bout Su Mudaerji vs. Kevin Borjas
The second bout of the principle card of UFC Combat Evening 257 in Shanghai occurs at flyweight when Su Mudareji (17-7 MMA, 4-4 UFC) makes the stroll to battle Kevin Borjas (10-3 MMA, 1-2 UFC.) Su Mudareji has gone 2-3 in his 5 most-recent contests.
He’ll be seeking win quantity 18 on Aug. 23 after having bested Mitch Raposo (9-3 MMA, 0-2 UFC) in his April 12 bout in Miami.
This was a wanted win for Su Mudaerji, who dropped two fights in succession previous to UFC 314 again within the spring. Can he begin a sustained profitable streak right here?
Throughout the best way, Kevin Borjas is 3-2 over his final 5 appearances. This previous March in Mexico Metropolis, he picked up his first promotional win (unanimous choice) versus Ronaldo Rodriguez (17-3 MMA, 2-1 UFC.)
Borjas is a person who’s already acquired a championship to his credit score, having gained the Inka FC Flyweight Championship in Peru three years in the past. Whereas it’s early into his trek towards the UFC Flyweight Championship, a second win within the promotion would make for some respectable mileage on the highway to the belt.
Prediction: Kevin Borjas by Unanimous Determination
UFC Combat Evening 257: Welterweight Bout: Taiyilake Nueraji vs. Kiefer Crosbie
The principle card kicks off at welterweight with an adjusted bout. Initially, Kenan Track (22-9 MMA, 6-5 UFC) was to face Kiefer Crosbie (10-5 MMA, 0-2 UFC) right here, however Track needed to withdraw from the cardboard forward of struggle night time.
No concrete motive was given for the withdrawal. As an alternative, Taiyilake Nueraji (11-1, 1 NC MMA, UFC promotional debut) will likely be making his first stroll to the Octagon on Aug. 23,
Taiyilake has gone 5-0 in his final 5 contests. Most not too long ago, he bested Kirill Karpekin (2-2 MMA) with a first-round knockout by means of left hooks in August of final yr.
Canceled fights have grow to be an issue of late for Taiyilake. Since his struggle final summer season, he’s seen three fights get postponed with out a single punch thrown.
Making a promotional debut on the principle card of an occasion is rarely a simple activity, so how will he deal with the strain?
Within the different nook, Kiefer Crosbie will contact down in Shanghai with a 2-3 mark prior to now 5 tilts. At present, he’s on a two-fight dropping streak.
Final summer season, he misplaced through first-round submission as a result of an arm-triangle choke from Sam Patterson (13-2-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC.) He’s had virtually 13 months between fights, plus he’s coping with a change in opponent. What sort of a coaching camp has he been capable of have going into this contest in Shanghai?
Prediction: Taiyilake Nueraji by Unanimous Determination.
