The “Pride of St. Louis” Charles Johnson was paired up with England’s Jake Hadley as the second fight in at UFC St. Louis, and the fans let the Brit know exactly how they felt during his walkout.
Hometown hero “Inner G” Johnson was coming off a win over Azmat Maksum in the flyweight fight, a victory that had snapped a three-fight skid for the 33-year old. Hadley on the other hand had most recently lost to Cody Durden, snapping a two-fight win streak the youngster had put together.
Cheers greeted Johnson as the fight got underway, but it was Hadley firing kicks and putting Johnson on his heels along the fence. Hadley got combos going and two minutes in landed a combo, albeit one Johnson was up so quickly from that it likely didn’t count. They’d move back to center after, trading out in the open and going back-and-forth with single strikes and short combos for the remainder of the round.
Between rounds, Johnson’s corner told him that “you’re not in America and you’re in a race,” urging him to get the work, win the round and perhaps tune out the fact that he was fighting at home. To start the second, there was more back-and-forth between Johnson and Hadley; Hadley opted to clinch, but Johnson reversed leading to a break. Hadley ripped the body with a kick, which Johnson answered with a combo. Johnson would briefly catch the next kick, and nearly swept Hadley’s legs out from under him.
The second was certainly a more offense-oriented round by Johnson, with his right hand landing more than once. In the final minute, “Inner G” scored a knockdown, which Hadley survived, despite clearly being rocked.
Johnson was fired up heading to the third, where the back-and-forth continued. Hadley appeared to have recovered from the scare in round two; Johnson however now had an edge in volume, and the pace remained fairly consistent until a brief break in the action for an accidental eye poke with two minutes remaining. The crowd did not take Johnson being warned well, but the action resumed in well under a minute.
With all of a minute on the clock, it still felt like anyone’s fight. Both men had a couple of close-but-no-cigar moments, and they swung away til the final buzzer. “We want a number next, we want a ranking!” exclaimed Johnson following the fight.
Official Result: Charles Johnson def. Jake Hadley by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
