Charles Johnson needs an enormous opponent to insert his identify within the dialog for a shot on the UFC title, however appears like no ranked flyweight is keen to signal a contract to face him.
Victorious in 5 of his final six, a run that features three bonuses — together with one for a knockout over subsequent title challenger Joshua Van —, Johnson sees the truth that 125-pound champion Alexandre Pantoja has crushed a lot of the top-15 fighters as an opportunity to leapfrog a part of the rating and get his crack at gold in 2026.
“I’m at all times going to make it identified that I would like the title, however I perceive the panorama of preventing as properly,” Johnson informed MMA Preventing. “I simply desire a top-five, top-six opponent to point out that I’m worthy of preventing for a championship belt. Most of these guys have already misplaced to the champion, so if Van goes on the market and loses, who’s he going to combat? So, for me, I simply need to throw my identify within the cap. It’s solely like two guys, Manel Kape and Tatsuro Taira, that I believe are forward of me for that chance. If I can go combat any individual of their caliber.”
One identify Johnson was angling for is Kai Kara-France, who got here up quick in his try to dethrone Pantoja in June. The New Zealander, nevertheless, was faraway from the rankings after notifying the UFC that he’s taking a time without work from competitors and left the anti-doping pool.
“I requested for Kai Kara-France, however he dodged me and went into retirement,” Johnson mentioned. “The combat was booked for Australia, and he mentioned no to it, after which he mentioned he’s taking a 12 months off. I imply, extra energy to him. I’m a fan of the man, however he solely fights every year. Who needs to see these guys within the rating and preventing every year? You have a look at their data, he’s 8-5 within the UFC, and he’s been right here for eight years. I’m 7-5 in UFC, I’ve been right here for 3 years. I’ve been essentially the most lively. I’ve took my losses on the chin. A few of them I felt I gained.
“And I simply actually really feel prefer it’s my time now and these guys which might be within the rankings that aren’t going to combat must go, want to maneuver out the way in which, or they should combat, you already know? Anyone within the high seven, I consider, will put me able the place I can skip the road and I’m going have one other combat just like the one in China and present what I can do.”
The following few weeks are going to be busy for the flyweight division, with a lot of the high skills coming into the cage. UFC Qatar on Nov. 22 could have Kyoji Horiguchi returning to the octagon vs. Tagir Ulanbekov, and Asu Almabayev taking over Alex Perez. December reveals will function Pantoja vs. Van, Kape vs. Brandon Royval, and Taira vs. Brandon Moreno.
“I’d like to combat a type of guys over 5 rounds,” Johnson mentioned. “And if it must be within the APEX, let’s do it. I imply, it’s laborious to do it in an enviornment, you already know? I don’t know if my identify is large enough, so if it must be APEX, that’s wonderful. However I do know the star energy I maintain. I do know individuals love seeing me combat. I do know I’ve by no means had a boring combat, and I do know what I can do when these lights shine. I gained’t disappoint. I gained’t disappoint in a principal occasion. For me, simply give me any individual who you assume is any individual that’s worthy of that. I’d say Tatsuro Taira, however I believe he’s earned an opportunity on the title if he wins his subsequent combat. He fought two principal occasions already within the APEX, so I believe he’s a step forward of me in that. I’m humble sufficient to say, yeah, I received to win yet another, possibly two, however it simply relies upon, man. Simply give me any individual who you assume is worthy of that title, and I’ll present you what I can do.”
“No one within the UFC has seen me in 5 rounds,” he continued. “Folks don’t perceive. I’m made like that engine, like of Merab [Dvalishvili], like, I’m that man from 125. Like I’m going, go, go, go, and I solely go this fashion because the combat goes on. You solely get a peek of how nice I’m in three rounds. The earlier you place me in 5 rounds, the extra you’ll see what you bought in your fingers. I requested for Kai Kara-France, he mentioned no. You bought just a few large fights developing, so we’ll see. We gotta be affected person and see the way it works out. I requested for [Steve] Erceg in MSG, he turned it down. That was just a few couple months in the past after my combat. Now it’s identical to, these guys aren’t preventing. It’s fairly irritating to be within the rankings and guys within the rankings usually are not preventing, or injured. However it’s about three or 4 fights developing this month and subsequent month. Simply gotta let stuff play out and see what we are able to do.”
Johnson went 4-0 in 2024 and just lately scored a knockout over Lone’er Kavanagh to get again to the profitable column following a choice loss to Ramazan Temirov. Months after the bout, Temirov failed a drug check for trimetazidine, a drug used to deal with coronary heart failure and different cardiac situations, however listed within the class of hormone and metabolic modulators underneath the UFC anti-doping coverage prohibited checklist.
“They are saying he was [clean that night] however, as a fighter, I simply know guys know methods to cycle off, know methods to get away with issues,” Johnson mentioned. “And truthfully, he was a cheater in fights, like he grabbed within my gloves a number of instances in a combat. And in movie examine, he did that in different fights. I informed the ref earlier than, and the ref simply mentioned, ‘Don’t seize the glove,’ however it already modifications the grappling sequences when he does that. So in case you can cheat in fights, I do know your character, you’re a cheat outdoors of the cage too. And when it reveals that you’ve got, it’s identical to, I’m not stunned, you already know? However on the finish of the day, he examined damaging for our combat, so I can’t actually do a lot however proceed to do what I’m doing.”
“I gained 4 fights in a row, and I did every little thing I might do, and I misplaced to a man who popped for PEDs,” he added, “after which I went on the market and knocked out a younger, they had been calling him the largest prospect in all of MMA, and for me was simply one other day of labor. And I used to be enthusiastic about every alternative. However I’m positively enthusiastic about getting numbers and names and folks which were on this promotion for a very long time. I’m enthusiastic about preventing these matchups.”
Other than the doping failure, it bothers Johnson to have a loss to Temirov on his MMA file “particularly when the entire final 11 minutes of the combat he’s throwing one or two pictures and operating away from me.”
“The entire combat, I really feel like I’m gonna get this man out of right here if he fights me, however he doesn’t combat me,” Johnson mentioned. “He’s throwing large pictures and operating. After which the third spherical, he simply collapses. He’s simply bored with shit. This man’s not championship worthy. I’m higher than this man. He gained a contest that night time that the judges noticed he gained, however I didn’t really feel that method. What are you able to do however return to the fitness center, return to work, and ensure it doesn’t occur.”
In the long run, Johnson considers himself to be on a 6-0 streak after a 2-4 begin within the promotion between 2022 and 2023, and feels assured to be UFC championship materials.
“I simply give attention to myself and what can I do higher,” Johnson mentioned. “I’m closing holes, I’m closing little gaps right here and there. I really feel like I’m one of the best on the earth, however it’s about performing each time I step in there. And guys are gonna have moments, these are one of the best fighters on the earth, however I do know that each time the tip of those fights, I ought to have my hand raised or I needs to be ending guys. I’m feeling like I’m Charles Oliveira. When he was ending individuals, I really feel like I can do this. Folks haven’t needed to see my grappling, however I’m working so laborious, and I’m grappling with some nice guys, and so they’re all giving me reward. I’m simply enthusiastic about once I get these positions in fights, and I can present individuals one other layer. Till then, I’m simply gonna maintain doing what I’m doing, win the combat the place I must.”
