4 Fights We Need to See After UFC Fight Night: Walker vs. Zhang

Johnny Walker isn't done yet.

After a pair of brutal knockout losses to Volkan Oezdemir and Magomed Ankalaev, the Brazilian light heavyweight returned to the Octagon to fight Zhang Mingyang in Shanghai on Saturday.

Walker looked like he was in trouble in Round 1, but rallied in the second round to stop his streaking opponent with a deluge of ground strikes.

It was a crucial win for the 33-year-old, who might have been finished as a fighter if he had come up short again. It remains unlikely he'll ever be a champion, but after his win in Shanghai, he at least still has hope.

Former bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling also picked up a big win in Shanghai, defeating two-time title challenger Brian Ortega by decision at featherweight.

It wasn't the most exciting fight—thanks in large part to Ortega's timidity—but it moved the former bantamweight champ to 2-1 in his new weight class and set him up for another big opportunity.

Former interim heavyweight title challenger Sergei Pavlovich was among the other big winners of the night.

The hulking Russian was in action on the main card, taking on Waldo Cortes-Acosta in a clash of top-10 contenders. Pavlovich didn't produce the kind of vicious knockout he's known for, but he left the Octagon with a decision, moving onto a two-fight streak in the process.

The card did include a handful of memorable finishes, though. Chief among those was a dramatic KO from underrated flyweight Charles "InnerG" Johnson, who derailed the hype train of red-hot prospect Lone'er Kavanagh. Like the winners at the top of the card, he can expect a big name next time out.

Here are four fights the UFC should consider for Walker, Sterling, Pavlovich and Johnson when they're ready to return to the Octagon.

Johnny Walker vs. Jan Blachowicz

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After his victory over Zhang Mingyang in Shanghai, Walker called for a fight with former UFC light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz.

It was a bold shout, given the Pole was ranked eight spots ahead of Walker ahead of Saturday. Still, it's a fight that makes some sense.

Now he's back in the win column, Walker is again looking up the rankings. Blachowicz, meanwhile, is riding back-to-back decision losses to Carlos Ulberg and Alex Pereira, and he has fought just twice in the last two years, so he's not really in a position to call his shots.

It's a risky fight for Walker, though. His durability remains a huge concern—he barely escaped the first round of his fight with Zhang—and Blachowicz is one of the hardest hitters in the division. That being said, the former champion is now 42, and with poor results and little activity in recent years, is not the insurmountable challenge he once was. Walker could win this one.

One way or the other, it would be a fun fight for as long as it lasts.

Aljamain Sterling vs. Arnold Allen

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Aljamain Sterling followed his decision win over Brian Ortega by calling for a fight with featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski.

Honestly, that's a fantastic fight between two of the best fighters we've seen below the lightweight division. It would be great to see it happen. Unfortunately, it probably won't—not yet.

At the moment, all signs point to undefeated Brit Lerone Murphy getting the next crack at Volkanovski, thanks to his blistering KO of Aaron Pico at UFC 319.

Undefeated Russian Movsar Evloev is clearly deserving of a title shot himself—certainly more so than Sterling, who he defeated by decision last year.

So, unless Murphy and Evloev are both injured, Sterling is going to need to fight at least one more time before getting a title shot in his new division. If that's the way it happens, the obvious choice is Arnold Allen.

The Englishman, ranked no. 6 at featherweight, hasn't fought since July of last year, but he is riding a solid win over Giga Chikadze. It makes sense from a ranking standpoint, and it's an interesting matchup that could seemingly go either way.

Best of all for Sterling, a win would almost guarantee him a title shot.

Sergei Pavlovich vs. Tybura-Delija winner

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After a knockout loss to Tom Aspinall and a decision defeat against Alexander Volkov, Sergei Pavlovich had plenty of reasons to be worried about his future as a heavyweight contender.

However, he has since rebounded with a decision win over Jairzinho Rozenstruik and, in Shanghai, another decision win over Waldo Cortes-Acosta.

Ordinarily, the No. 3 heavyweight's two-fight streak would set him up for a fight with a top-five opponent. However, things are a bit complicated for him at the moment.

No. 1 contender Ciryl Gane is getting the next crack at Aspinall and the belt. Meanwhile, Pavlovich has already lost to No. 2 contender Volkov—and he's booked to fight No. 5 contender Jailton Almeida anyway.

No. 4 contender Curtis Blaydes is out with an injury, and Pavlovich has already knocked him out. In other words, the Russian will almost certainly need to fight somebody well below him in the rankings next, unless he's prepared to wait around for the next few big heavyweight fights to unfold.

The best choice for him right now seems to be a fight with the winner of a September 6 contest between Marcin Tybura and Ante Delija.

Tybura, from Poland, is ranked No. 7 at heavyweight and riding consecutive wins over Mick Parkin and Jhonata Diniz. Croatia's Delija will be making his UFC debut against the Pole, but he is a former PFL champion with all the skills to make some noise in the UFC heavyweight division.

Whoever wins will be well-positioned for a fight with a contender of Pavlovich's caliber. Better still, they'll be on similar schedules, having fought just weeks apart.

Charles Johnson vs. Tim Elliot

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It's time to put some respect on Charles Johnson's name.

Yes, "InnerG" has suffered some tough losses in the Octagon, but he's now 5-1 in his last six fights, notably knocking out No. 1 contender Joshua Van and then surging prospect Lone'er Kavanagh in Shanghai.

It's time for the UFC to stop treating him as a gatekeeper and give him the big step up he deserves.

The best choice for his next opponent is probably No. 10-ranked contender Tim Elliott.

The American, a former title challenger, has been hot and cold in recent years, but he picked up a fantastic submission win over former Rizin champ Kai Asakura at UFC 319 earlier this month.

This would be a tough matchup for Johnson, but he's proved he's capable of knocking out young up-and-comers. Let's see what he can do against a veteran contender of Elliott's ilk.