Matches to Make After UFC Shanghai

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The Ultimate Fighting Championship returned to China with an action-packed mixed martial arts event filled with finishes. The UFC Shanghai main event saw Mingyang Zhang take on light heavyweight fan-favorite Johnny Walker. The 12-fight card also had important fights that will leave an impact on the heavyweight and featherweight divisions for the rest of the year.

Here are five matches to make for the main card winners of UFC Shanghai:

Johnny Walker vs. Nikita Krylov

Walker (22-9) got back into the win column with a knockout win over Zhang. While defeats to Volkan Oezdemir and Magomed Ankalaev derailed his title shot dreams, Walker is still an intriguing light heavyweight to keep an eye on. Up next, I’d like to see the Brazilian rematch Krylov, who he lost a decision to in 2020. In the five years since then, Walker has become a much more well-rounded fighter. Let’s see if Walker can get revenge on “The Miner” or if Krylov (30-11) simply has his number. It'd also be a winnable bounce back fight for the Ukrainian fighter, who is coming off back-to-back knockout losses to Bogdan Guskov and Dominick Reyes.

Aljamain Sterling vs. Arnold Allen

Former bantamweight king Sterling and Brian Ortega fought at a 153-pound catchweight due to Ortega struggling to make featherweight, but that shouldn’t take away from the performance of “Funk Master.” Over five rounds, Sterling (25-5) easily outpointed “T-City” on the feet and took control on the ground. Up next for “Aljo” should be a 145-pound contender that can actually make weight, such as Allen. The English fighter recently rebounded from decision defeats to Max Holloway and Movsar Evloev with a win over Giga Chikadze. Previously on a 10-fight win streak inside the Octagon, "Almighty" is one of the division's top fighters and is just 31. Whoever emerges victorious will be in a great spot and potentially just a win away from a title shot.

Sergei Pavlovich vs. Shamil Gaziev

While it wasn’t the knockout that fans expected, Pavlovich showed a well-rounded striking game in taking a decision win over Waldo Cortes-Acosta. The Russian has now picked up two wins in a row since suffering one-sided defeats against Tom Aspinall and Alexander Volkov. A lot of the top heavyweights are currently booked, while Curtis Blaydes is getting knee surgery. As a result, Pavlovich (20-3) will either need to wait for the division to sort itself out in October or take on a lower-ranked opponent. I’d rather see him stay busy since he has a recent loss to the current champ and Gaziev fits the bill. 3-1 inside the UFC, with his only defeat coming to Jairzinho Rozenstruik in an exhausting main event, Gaziev (14-1) is coming off an impressive knockout of Thomas Petersen. While it’s effectively a stay-busy fight for Pavlovich, Gaziev has enough skills to at least keep it interesting.

Su Mudaerji vs. Edgar Chairez

Mudaerji soundly outstruck Kevin Borjas over three rounds to earn an unanimous decision victory. While it wasn’t exciting, it was a clear statement by the "Tibetan Eagle” that he is continuing to improve. Now 5-4 inside the Octagon, I’d like to see the Chinese flyweight take on Chairez next. “Puro Chicali” is 2-2 inside the UFC and is coming off a rear-naked choke submission win over C.J. Vergara. The Mexican fighter can test if Mudaerji’s grappling has improved as he was submitted in six of his seven career defeats.

Nueraji Taiyilake vs. Alex Morono

While it wasn’t always legal, there’s no doubt that Taiyilake was destructive in his UFC debut against Kiefer Crosbie. The one-sided beating came to an end in under a round and it will be exciting to see what Taiyilake (12-1, 1 NC) does next. I’d like to see the explosive 24-year-old get tested by a tried-and-true veteran in Morono. It’d be a must win fight “The Great White,” who has lost three straight in the welterweight division, but holds a 13-9 record inside the promotion. Morono (24-12, 1 NC) would show us just how talented “Super Saiyan” is and would be a solid step up from his recent opponents.