MMA News

Tag: Charles Johnson

  • “Criminally Underrated” – Fans Debate And Defend Alex Perez’s Abilities As He Beats Down Charles Johnson At UFC 324

    “Criminally Underrated” – Fans Debate And Defend Alex Perez’s Abilities As He Beats Down Charles Johnson At UFC 324

    While he missed weight for the fight, Alex Perez managed to at least make a statement in a flyweight division matchup, pulling off a first-round finish of Charles Johnson at UFC 324 in what could be a UFC tenure-saving finish.

    Perez managed to stun Johnson a couple of minutes into the fight, dropping him with a right-left combination. Perez managed to stay on Johnson, applying pressure and landing a couple of more stunning punches.

    Perez faceplanted Johnson, which prompted a referee’s stoppage in spite of (a stunned) Johnson’s attempts to continue.

    Alex Perez Finishes Charles Johnson At UFC 324

    Perez entered this fight off back-to-back losses against Tatsuro Taira and Asu Almabayev.

    Johnson has lost two of three now, but he’s still 5-2 in his last seven.

  • “The Prospect Killer…Give That Man His Respect” – Fans & Fighters React To Charles Johnson Pulling Off Sudden, Surprise KO To End Unbeaten Record Of Lone’er Kavanagh At UFC Shanghai

    “The Prospect Killer…Give That Man His Respect” – Fans & Fighters React To Charles Johnson Pulling Off Sudden, Surprise KO To End Unbeaten Record Of Lone’er Kavanagh At UFC Shanghai

    Charles Johnson is not the kind of fighter to be counted out so soon. That’s the message that was delivered as he handed Lone’er Kavanagh the first loss of his professional MMA career during the UFC Shanghai prelims.

    Kavanagh troubled Johnson early, landing a hook and a head kick in the opening couple of minutes that both did some notable damage. Kavanagh continued to push the pace, dominating early on and looking like he could finish Johnson at any point.

    Kavanagh attempted a tight guillotine choke in the second round, but Johnson was able to escape. Kavanagh tried to stay with him, only for Johnson to land some hard elbows before landing a right hand that dropped Kavanagh out cold.

    Charles Johnson Drops Lone’er Kavanagh Out Cold At UFC Shanghai

    Johnson, who at one point lost three straight and looked like he could be cut at any point, has now won five of his last six fights.

    Kavanagh had won his first two UFC bouts against Jose Ochoa and Felipe dos Santos after a first-round finish on Dana White’s Contender Series last year.

  • Charles Johnson Frustrated UFC Isn’t Rewarding Winning Streak: ‘Why Am I Not Getting An Opportunity?’

    Charles Johnson Frustrated UFC Isn’t Rewarding Winning Streak: ‘Why Am I Not Getting An Opportunity?’

    Ahead of his return to action at this weekend’s UFC Fight Night, flyweight Charles Johnson has one question — when is it going to be the turn of “InnerG?”

    Johnson will enter the cage inside the Apex Saturday night riding momentum from four straight wins, including a vicious knockout of dangerous prospect Joshua Van last July in Denver.

    Despite that — and despite rising to #12 in the division — the former LFA champion is still not getting his shot opposite ranked opposition.

    This weekend will even see the 34-year-old tasked with facing a charging newcomer who boasts just one fight in the Octagon, Uzbekistan’s Ramazon Temirov, in the very first matchup on the card.

    From choice of opponent to card placement, many in the MMA community have been questioning the treatment of Johnson. And the man himself evidently doesn’t need reminding of what he should have earned.

    “I don’t have anything against it, but I look at the opportunities other guys get when they come into the promotion from RIZIN, from Eternal, but what are these promotions compared to LFA, that has had hundreds of not only ranked guys, but a plethora of champions?” Johnson said during an interview with E. Spencer Kyte for UFC.com. “I’m a three-time champion from that promotion. Why am I not getting an opportunity when I’m on a three-fight winning streak, four-fight winning streak? Give me a chance.

    “So this is where we are,” he added. “I’m never get upset at them or their opportunities, but it’s like, ‘When is it gonna be my turn? When am I gonna get the opportunities these guys are getting?’ I’m on a four-fight winning streak in one year — who else has done that, in this division?”

    Regardless of his feeling toward the latest assignment handed to him, Johnson will look to do what he’s done ever since a three-fight losing skid in 2023 — win.

    And should “InnerG” accomplish that feat at the expense of a highly touted prospect who’s won 10 on the bounce, his claim to a high-ranked opponent could become undeniable.

  • Mark Smith Bashed by Fighter For Last-Second Chris Curtis Stoppage At UFC Vegas 101: ‘Got To Be The Lowest Graded Ref’

    Mark Smith Bashed by Fighter For Last-Second Chris Curtis Stoppage At UFC Vegas 101: ‘Got To Be The Lowest Graded Ref’

    UFC Vegas 101 brought fight fans the first UFC card of 2025 and with that came the first set of highlight reel finishes, entertaining contests and yes, controversial refereeing decisions. The middleweight clash between Roman Kopylov and Chris Curtis earned the first fight of the night bonus of the year following their back-and-forth encounter on the main card.

    What the fight will likely be remembered for however is the call that Mark Smith made to wave the fight off with just one second left on the clock. Kopylov landed a head kick that knocked Curtis off balance but with the clock running down and his opponent on the floor, the Russian decided to back away rather than chasing his opponent to the ground to land more strikes.

    Despite the fact that Curtis wasn’t in danger of taking any more damage, Smith stepped in and the stoppage was heavily disputed by “The Action Man” in the immediate aftermath. It’s also of note that the fight was tied at 19-19 across all three scorecards heading into the third round which would have been won by Kopylov if the fight had continued for one more second.

    Curtis has since posted a statement on social media where he seemed less frustrated at the ending of the fight though he was still disappointed to have not secured the victory. Kopylov, on the other hand, believes that the official made the right decision, stating in his post-fight press conference that he chose not to follow-up with any more strikes because it wasn’t neccesary and that he’s open to the idea of a rematch if that’s what people want.

    In a post on social media, UFC flyweight Charles Johnson criticized Smith by questioning the consistency of his decision making.

    “Mark smith has got to be the lowest graded ref on roster. Constantly interjects himself and only thing consistent with calls is his inconsistency”

    Some of the replies underneath Johnson’s post made reference to one of his previous fights which was refereed by Smith. In his fight with Sumudaerji last October, he believed that the fight should have been stopped but Smith didn’t step in and it ended up going the distance.

  • Charles Johnson Slams Commentary Team Over Call For UFC Fight Night Denver Win: ‘Put Some F*cking Respect On My Name’

    Charles Johnson Slams Commentary Team Over Call For UFC Fight Night Denver Win: ‘Put Some F*cking Respect On My Name’

    Charles Johnson continued his excellent winning form in the UFC’s flyweight division this past weekend in Denver.

    In one of the sleeper fights of the entire UFC Fight Night lineup, he faced Joshua Van in a great contest that saw Johnson secure a devastating finish in the third round.

    This win makes him undefeated in his last three Octagon appearances after previously losing three in a row in 2023 before putting that in the rear-view mirror so far this year.

    Despite his excellent performance against Van, Johnson did have one issue when he came to watch back the fight and that was the commentary, as he revealed in a recent interview on SiriusXM’s MMA Today.

    “The only thing that kinda surprised me was hearing the commentary after the fight. But other than that, and hearing the judging, betting lines and stuff. But, at the end of the day, the only thing that matters is I went in there and did exactly what I said I was gonna do.”

    Charles Johnson Says UFC Commentary Didn’t Give Him The Credit He Was Due

    Johnson went on to explain where his issues with the commentary came from, believing he wasn’t give enough credit for the work he did inside the Octagon.

    “InnerG” specifically referencef the first round, which he believes he comfortably won despite a judge scoring it for his opponent and the commentators spending more time talking about Van’s work in the opening five minutes.

    “We’re three minutes into the first round and I’ve landed 28 strikes to his four and all you’ve heard up until that point is, ‘This is what Van does, Van is applying pressure. Van is doing this.’ That’s all you heard. The round ends and I’m 40-16 on strikes and, for me, I try to separate personal but everything’s personal to me, that’s just me, that’s how I am.

    “Business, everything, everything’s personal, but I know how much those opinions matter in judging, in everything. They hear it, they can hear it too. So hearing it after the fight when I felt like I was in full control from the moment the fight started, never worried about anything. He threw big punches, never really landed anything.”

    Johnson also referenced how he was excited to watch back the fight in order to hear Dominick Cruz’s thoughts on the fight having been a big fan of the bantamweight legend as a fighter and analyst over the years.

    Ultimately, he doesn’t believe that he received the praise he deserved for that performance.

    “The type of guy I was walking into, I’ve fought higher caliber guys. I fought two guys that are ranked in the top 10 in my career already and lost close decisions to them, you know? It’s just put some f****** respect on my name, basically.”

  • VIDEO: Charles Johnson Lands Brutal Uppercut KO To Stall Joshua Van’s Rise At UFC Fight Night Denver

    VIDEO: Charles Johnson Lands Brutal Uppercut KO To Stall Joshua Van’s Rise At UFC Fight Night Denver

    Charles Johnson had tough competition on his hands when he faced rising flyweight star Joshua Van in the featured prelim bout of Saturday’s UFC Fight Night in Denver.

    Johnson came into the fight as a notable underdog, and Van appeared to be proving the sportsbooks correct through the first two rounds.

    Motivated with the idea of likely needing a finish, Johnson came out focused in the final round. The former LFA champion turned up the pressure and landed a couple of combinations, including a right hand that rocked his Burmese counterpart.

    “InnerG” then landed a three-punch combination, ending with an uppercut, to drop Van and score the KO just seconds into the third frame.

    Charles Johnson Fires Flurries To Finish Joshua Van In Upset Fashion

    Johnson has now won three straight fights this year after going 0-3 in the Octagon in 2023.

    Van, meanwhile, is now 3-1 in the Octagon, with this fight marking his first loss in professional MMA since dropping his third fight under the Fury FC banner.