UFC Shanghai winner denies faking glove touch: ‘We were practicing that all the time’

One fighter who emerged victorious at UFC Shanghai says he never faked a glove touch.

The main event of UFC Shanghai featured a light heavyweight tilt between Johnny Walker and Zhang Mingyang. There was significant buzz for Mingyang going into the fight, and many thought this would be a statement-making win for the hone country hero. Walker had other plans, and he secured a second-round TKO finish.

At the start of the fight, Mingyang was looking to touch gloves. Instead, Walker charged in and attempted a takedown. During an interview with Guilherme Cruz of MMAFighting.com, Walker denied having the intention of faking a glove touch.

Johnny Walker denies faking glove touch in UFC Shanghai main event vs. Zhang Mingyang.

(Via @guicruzzz) pic.twitter.com/TptC63loCW

— MMA Fighting (@MMAFighting) August 27, 2025

“We were practicing that all the time,” Walker said of the early takedown. “In fact, I didn’t fake anything. I went there with my hand up because we had already touched gloves before the fight started. Touch gloves, each one back to their corner, and I wasn’t even looking at his face anymore. I went there with my hand hanging and shot for a takedown. I didn’t go there to touch gloves.”

Walker has said that despite his upset win over Mingyang, he felt a bit rusty inside the Octagon. He said it led to his timing being off until he was able to chop down the legs of his opponent with kicks. Walker also admitted that if he allowed Mingyang to continue getting the better of him in the striking department, he would’ve lost the fight in round one.

The 32-fight veteran believes his patience paid off at UFC Shanghai. He feels he has matured as a fighter by sticking to the strategy laid out by his team. While Walker has thrown his name in the hat for an Oct. 11 fight at UFC Rio, he’ll be satisfied if he can have one more bout before 2025 comes to a close.