Capping off a six-fight preliminary card at UFC Denver were flyweights Charles Johnson and Joshua Van.
Van had won all three of his UFC contests to date, and sat on a eight-fight win streak overall. Johnson had won two straight prior to Saturday.
As is often the case with the 125lb’ers, Johnson and Van got right to work at the Ball Arena, the larger Johnson on the outside, firing kicks. He closed the distance, mixing up shots to the head and body, which Van backpedaled, but regrouped and continued walking his opponent down again.
It was “InnerG” Johnson, however, hitting the body with another kick and continuing to mix up his attacks. Van responded with a low kick, but his volume was comparatively low next to the output of Johnson. When they went to the fence, it was Johnson in control. Coming off of it, he looked for a takedown.
Later in the round, Van finally appeared to get going. He used his boxing to rip a combo, with Johnson simply covering up in response. They’d go to the ground ever so briefly, and head to the second frame with the complexion of the fight having shifted.
The boxing of Van continued to shine in round two, forcing Johnson to retreat. Johnson, however, got going as well, taking some big swings, then seeming to find his stride. Both men were firing on all cylinders, in a back-and-forth round heavy on the stand-up front. There was a good chance it was going to come down to the third, given Van’s slow start in round one, and assuming he had done enough to claim the second.
Charles Johnson took the judges out of the equation early in round three. He came out firing, rocked Van, then connected with a massive uppercut that snapped Van’s head back. Van hit the canvas, Johnson hit one more punch, and that was a wrap!
Official Result: Charles Johnson def. Joshua Van by knockout, Round 3, 0:20
