Going into 2024, Charles Johnson‘s career was at a crossroads. He had lost three straight fights, which is never a good thing in the UFC. Then Johnson was booked with highly touted prospect Azat Maksum on one of the first cards of the new year. That would be the major turning point.
Charles proceeded to walk through Maksum and then went on a run seldom seen in the flyweight division. He rattled off three more wins before the year came to a close for a total for four. If you ask Johnson, there was no big change from the wins to the losses – simply just the ebbs and flows of MMA.
“There is no secret. This is MMA fighting, you know – there’s peaks and valleys. 2024 was the bgeinning of some things to come and I think it will continue,” Johnson said. “We’re excited, man. All the hard work over the last 10 years put into the sport, day in and day out, is finally coming to fruition.”
And while 2024 was already an amazing year for him, Johnson wanted it to be even bigger. With a few fill-in opportunites near the end of the year, he was trying to put up a flyweight record.
“I tried to get some other opportunities and step up on some other fights where guys fell out. I wasn’t chosen for those oppoirtunities,” he explained. “I really wanted to do some special things in 2024. I wanted to get that fifth fight to cement myself in flyweight history – first ever to do that in one calendar year.”
Now that the calendar has flipped and that record is past, he’s done chasing it. Instead, he’s got his eyes on what comes next and things that are far bigger and better.
“It’s kind of like that thing when people hold on to the rope too long and you’re trying to make something happen,” Johnson said. “I feel like I have other things, bigger things, in store for me. So I’m just focused on what I do when I’m in there these next 15 minutes – hppefully it doesn’t take that long.”
Those 15 minutes will take place at UFC Vegas 103 with another showdown with a highly touted prospect. Johnson takes on Ramazan Temirov, who he feels will have a tough time with his style.
“He’s just got no one to emulate me. There is no one in his training room to emulate me. Song Yadong doesn’t fight like me. Those guys in Alpha Male don’e fight like me. Those guys in Uzbekistand don’t train and fight like me. They don’t have the same cardio as me,” he said. “I’m going to dominate this man. It’s going to be a tough fight, but I have this oil and water, man. How I move – how he moves – gonna tear him apart.”
You can see Johnson look to make good on his prediction as part of the UFC Vegas 103 prelims. That portion of the fight card begins at 4:30pm EST and airs on ESPN+.
