Anthony Smith vs Zhang Mingyang at UFC on ESPN 66 | Preview & Prediction
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Anthony Smith returns to the Octagon for his 60th professional MMA bout and he will take on Zhang Mingyang in the co-main event at UFC on ESPN 66 in Kansas City
Anthony Smith vs Zhang Mingyang Facts
When is UFC on ESPN 66? UK – the preliminary card starts at 11:00pm on Saturday 26th April 2025, followed by the main card at 2:00am (Sunday) / USA – 6:00pm/9:00pm ET and 3:00pm/6:00pm PT
Where is UFC on ESPN 66? T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri
Where can I get tickets for UFC on ESPN 66? Click here for the latest ticket information for UFC ON ESPN 66
What TV channel is UFC on ESPN 66 on? UK – TNT Sports / USA – ESPN+
Where can I stream UFC on ESPN 66? UK – TNT Sports subscribers can stream the event online via the TNT Sports website and discovery+ / USA – ESPN+ & UFC Fight Pass
For viewers in the United States, UFC ON ESPN 66 will be shown live on ESPN+
What time are Anthony Smith and Zhang Mingyang expected to walk out? 4:15am UK / Saturday 26th April, 11:15pm US ET / 8:15pm US PT
UFC on ESPN 66 main card
Ian Machado Garry vs Carlos Prates (Welterweight)
Anthony Smith vs Zhang Mingyang (Light Heavyweight)
Giga Chikadze vs David Onama (Featherweight)
Michel Pereira vs Abusupiyan Magomedov (Middleweight)
Randy Brown vs Nicolas Dalby (Welterweight)
Ikram Aliskerov vs Andre Muniz (Middleweight)
UFC on ESPN 66 prelims
Matt Schnell vs Jimmy Flick (Flyweight)
Evan Elder vs Gauge Young (Lightweight)
Chris Gutierrez vs John Castaneda (Featherweight)
Da'Mon Blackshear vs Alateng Heili (Bantamweight)
Malcolm Wellmaker vs Cameron Saaiman (Bantamweight)
Jaqueline Amorim vs Polyana Viana (Women’s Strawweight)
Timothy Cuamba vs Roberto Romero (Featherweight)
Chelsea Chandler vs Joselyne Edwards (Women’s Bantamweight)
Anthony Smith vs Zhang Mingyang prediction
Anthony Smith (38-21) returns to the Octagon for his 60th professional MMA fight and he will be hoping to halt a difficult run that has seen him lose three of his last four fights. There are certainly signs that his punch resistance is fading increasingly having suffered two knockouts in the last 18 months, but he is determined to continue fighting.
After struggling with the emotion of his long-time friend and coach Scott Morton passing away prior to his last fight against Dominick Reyes when he was clearly not in the right frame of mind and probably should not have fought, he should hopefully be better prepared for this latest fight which could well be his last.
He now takes on the Mountain Tiger, Zhang Mingyang (18-6), a 26-year-old Chinese fighter who is riding an 11-fight winning streak. He earned his spot in the UFC by winning the Road to UFC: Singapore and he has won both fights since then in the Octagon against Brendson Ribeiro and Osman Diaz.
Zhang is a headhunter and will go for the stoppage right from the first bell. He has 12 wins by knockout and his other six by submission with only one of his 24 professional MMA fights going the distance.
This match promises fireworks and it will be a surprise if it is not a Fight of the Night or Performance of the Night for whoever wins. We are struggling with Anthony Smith these days and think he should have retired some time ago. He has fought at a far higher level than Zhang but this fight will likely come down to who connects first and flush.
We have to think that the younger man will be the one to do so and while Smith is desperate to go out with a win, all we see if a Zhang knockout victory in this one.
Prediction: Zhang Mingyang to win by KO/TKO
