After an extremely active 2023, Charles Johnson returns to the Octagon this coming weekend at UFC Vegas 85, as he takes on the undefeated 17-0 Kazakh, Azat Maksum.
“InnerG” competed four times under the UFC banner in 2023, and that resulted in him being the second most drug tested athlete in the UFC throughout the year. Unfortunately for the 33-year-old, it was a year to forget as he finished it 1-3.
Despite that, Johnson is excited to show the UFC fans a new version of himself this weekend, and a version of himself that he has been ‘tinkering’ with.
Johnson told Cageside Press: “This sport tests you mentally, a lot, and physically. There were somethings as far as skill that I thought I was more proficient at that in fights it was just small things, and flyweight is the weight class that it’s going to be seen the most because it’s the most skilled weight class.
“For me it’s just moments in fights, places I can be a better fighter and they get shown to me after losses. Like ‘ok I could’ve done this here, I will do this here next time’. My choice of words recently has been ‘tinkering’, I’ve been tinkering with myself as a martial artist lately.”
Charles Johnson hasn’t fought in front of a live crowd since his UFC debut fight against Muhammad Mokaev, which took place in London. His upcoming fight with Azat Maksum will mark his sixth fight in a row, to take place in the confines of the UFC Apex.
Fighting in the Apex isn’t something Johnson is fond of, for several reasons. One of which that not even his wife can go and watch him fight, due to the UFC not providing family tickets.
“For a time I enjoyed it, but now I’m just like irritated with it because I feel like I haven’t been afforded the full UFC experience, my whole (UFC) career is going to be in the f*cking Apex.
“I can’t even get my wife in there and my baby girl because the tickets are f*cking $1600+ and they say they don’t have any tickets every time I fight to give me one ticket for my wife so it’s pretty irritating. That’s the most irritating aspect of it. For it to be in-house I feel like you could give one seat for my wife or a family member.
“Outside of that it’s always this one heckler guy in there that’s always heckling people, a*sshole guy got money so he can be in there. I like the intimacy of it like being able to hear everything and stuff, but after being in the arena in Toronto and Jacksonville, there’s something about it. I just love the fans man, I love that energy. When I’m in the Apex, it just feels like a spar session.”
Check out the full interview with Charles Johnson above
