With his brother Valter Walker in the corner in Shanghai, Johnny admitted he was “emotional” after his first three-fight winless run in the promotion. Training at Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas gave him confidence, but Walker felt he couldn’t perform at his best after a 14-month layoff.

In the UFC Fight Night 257 headliner, Walker (22-9 MMA, 8-6 UFC) battered Zhang Mingyang (19-7 MMA, 3-1 UFC) in the final sequence for a TKO stoppage at 2:37 of Round 2. The first round was a slightly different story, however, with Zhang getting the better of Walker.

Johnny Walker ended a skid of two straight knockout losses by scoring a shocking knockout of his own in a comeback win against Chinese light heavyweight Zhang Mingyang in the main event of UFC Fight Night in Shanghai.