Opposite Johnson, who is believed to have competed in upwards of 80 amateur bouts, was Felipe Bunes. The Brazilian was looking to bounce back from a loss against Josh Van.

The towering Johnson looked to use his length early, fighting from the outside and mixing in kicks with some long punches. Bunes did catch a kick, but Johnson broke free, and when Bunes launched into a takedown, Johnson rolled, using the momentum to come out on top. A Bunes arm-bar attempt didn’t pay off, and Johnson settled into Bunes’ guard – only to end up in another arm-bar attempt! It was nasty, and Johnson fought hard, rolling with it more than once only to end up caught in the submission again and forced to tap!

A quick finish for Felipe Bunes, who secures his first win and finish under the UFC banner and improved to 1-1 in the promotion, and 14-7 overall.

“Believe in your dreams,” Bunes urged fans following the fight, speaking with analyst and former welterweight champ Michael Bisping. Speaking via translator, he would later call out Tim Elliott. “It would be my honor to fight you.”

Official Result: Felipe Bunes def. Jose Johnson by submission (arm-bar), Round 1, 2:04

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Johnson, now in the UFC, never expected to make a career out of it however. Instead, he breezed through dozens and dozens amateur bouts (Johnson estimates around 80) on sheer athletic talent alone. And nevermind pursuing a carrer in the sport – Johnson didn’t even decide to take training seriusly until he faced Trevor Morris in 2015 for the WXC amateur bantamweight championship.

“It was actually in my very last amateur fight where I made that decision [to pursue MMA as a career]. All the way up until then, I had no desire to be in the UFC, I had no desire to talk anything about a UFC belt, I barely even watched it to be honest with you,” Johnson told The Top Turtle Podcast on Cageside Press ahead of his fight with Felipe Bunes at UFC Vegas 101. “Only the main, major cards and a couple of fighters that I personally liked.”

Against Morris was when Harris recognized that he had true potential in the sport if he took training seriously. “I actually prepared for this fight, I actually was not going off of my athleticism and natural gifts. I actually trained for this one, and I was doing great against the number two, he was number two in Indiana and in Michigan at the time. Destroying him.”

Johnson found himself caught in the very last round, however, after initiating a takedown and getting stuck in an arm-bar. “I never lived that down, really, and it was at that moment where someone came to me and they told me to watch my fight over. And I watched my fight over, and I saw my potential.”

Fifteen or so title fights/belts between the amateur and regional scene later, and Johnson did land in the UFC. After a Contender Series appearance in 2022, he debuted the following year, and has posted a 1-2 record to date. That makes this Saturday’s fight against Bunes at UFC Vegas 101 a critical one.

While Johnson’s coaches feel he’ll “smash” Bunes, “I’m a little bit more humble than that, and I always give someone credit. He made it to the UFC the same way I did. He’s had a long career and a tougher route, same way I did. I’m not taking anything from him.”

Jose Johnson had found one flaw in his opponent, however. “I will say he stands still a lot, and that’s not really a good thing you want to do if, you’re personally looking at my size and my record. It shows I like to knock people out. So standing in front of me is not the best idea.”

UFC Vegas 101, with Jose Johnson vs. Felipe Bunes featured, takes place on Saturday, January 11, 2025 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, NV.

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Hitting the scales at the end of Friday’s weigh-in window, Jose Johnson and Ihor Potieria both came in north of their respective limits. Johnson, booked into a would-be flyweight fight with Felipe Bunes, was 2.5lbs over the non-title limit at 128.5. For Potieria, he was two pounds north of the middleweight limit for a fight against Marco Tulio.

Both fights take part on the event’s preliminary card. All other athletes made weight on Friday, including headliners Mackenzie Dern and Amanda Ribas. The pair, booked into a rematch (Ribas earned a decision win in their first meeting), both came in at 116lbs for the strawweight main event.

UFC Vegas 101: Dern vs. Ribas 2 Weigh-In Results

Main card

Women’s Strawweight: Mackenzie Dern (116) vs. Amanda Ribas (116)
Welterweight: Santiago Ponzinibbio (171) vs. Carlston Harris (170)
Middleweight: César Almeida (185.5) vs. Abdul Razak Alhassan (185.5)
Middleweight: Chris Curtis (185.5) vs. Roman Kopylov (185.5)
Featherweight: Christian Rodriguez (145) vs. Austin Bashi (145.5)
Welterweight: Punahele Soriano (171) vs. Uroš Medić (171)

Preliminary card

Flyweight: Jose Johnson (128.5)* vs. Felipe Bunes (126)
Middleweight: Marco Tulio (185.5) vs. Ihor Potieria (188)**
Lightweight: Thiago Moisés (155.5) vs. Trey Ogden (155.5)
Welterweight: Preston Parsons (171) vs. Jacobe Smith (170.5)
Women’s Flyweight: Ernesta Kareckaitė (126) vs. Nicolle Caliari (125.5)
Light Heavyweight: Magomed Gadzhiyasulov (205) vs. Bruno Lopes (205.5)
Women’s Strawweight: Fatima Kline (116) vs. Victoria Dudakova (116)
Lightweight: Joe Solecki (155) vs. Nurullo Aliev (155.5)

* Jose Johnson weighed in two and a half pounds over the flyweight limit for his fight with Felipe Bunes; fined 20% of his purse

** Ihor Poteira weighed in two pounds over the middleweight limit for his fight with Marco Tulio; fined 25% of his purse

UFC Vegas 101 Weigh-In Photos

Face-Offs

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Kicking off this edition of TTP is our interview with UFC flyweight, Jose Johnson. Johnson discusses his absolutely bonkers amateur career, which he says spans far more than Tapology can even fathom. He also talks about his reasons for fighting and how the intention never really was to make money. Plus, he digs into the reasons and when that changed, and he began to understand that he could do this at a high level. He’ll once again look to show that high level this Saturday against Felipe Bunes – and we break down the stylistic matchup of that fight as well.

Fights, Dogs, and Parlays: UFC Vegas 101 (14:53)

It seems like it’s been so long since UFC Tampa, but we’re finally back to UFC fights this weekend. UFC Vegas 101 kicks off the year from the Apex and is headlined by a rematch between Mackenzie Dern and Amanda Ribas. Ribas picked up the win over five years ago, but we’ll discuss whether or not that matters and what to think of the fight now. Plus, we dig into some other fights on the card and give you our picks. And, as always, we have an underdog and a parlay that we think will make your wallet fat this weekend. For this segment, all odds via FanDuel Sportsbook.

Furkatbek Yokubov Interview (26:05)

Closing out this UFC Vegas 101 edition of TTP is our interview with potential TUF flyweight, Furkatbek Yokubov. Yokubov shares his reasoning for coming to LFA and the violent spinning heel kick that got him loads of attention. Now, he’s turned his sights on the Ultimate Fighter, which is preparing a flyweight season. He explains where he is in the application process and how confident he is that it’ll happen. Plus, we also discuss how he’d feel being in the house.

The post TTP Ep. 462 with Jose Johnson, Furkatbek Yokubov and UFC Vegas 101 appeared first on Cageside Press.

Alex Perez

Alex Perez lost on Saturday when he suffered a knee injury in a takedown from his opponent, Tatsuro Taira. It’s a tough loss to stomach for 32-year-old Perez and picking up an injury in the process is catastrophic, hopefully he has a smooth recovery.

Perez has lost three of his last four fights since November of 2020. But his late notice finish of Matheus Nicolau back in April was enough to propel him to a #5 ranking in the UFC’s flyweight division. And his opponent, Taira entered the fight ranked at #13.

Alex Perez was originally going to fight #12 ranked, Tagir Ulanbekov before rebooking. Ulanbekov would ultimately not fight after missing weight against his new opponent, Joshua Van. Tagir would be a great matchup but depending on the severity of his injury, the division might move on without him.

A move to 135lbs. where he has fought previously, and a fight against former champion Cody Garbrandt could be a great move for Alex as well. Alex has missed weight in the past, though it doesn’t seem to be a problem now. Grabrandt has struggled recently losing three of his last 5 fights. ‘No Love’ has experimented at 125lbs. himself with his 2021 loss against Kai Kara-France. Grabrandt experienced an injury in his last fight as well against Deiveson Figueiredo at UFC 300, so perhaps Cody and Alex’s are on the same trajectory here.

Alex’s next fight: Tagir Ulanbekov or Cody Garbrandt

Douglas Silva de Andrade

Douglas Silva de Andrade lost a unanimous decision to Miles Johns in the co main event of UFC Vegas 93. Now 38, D. Silva’s 7-6 UFC record doesn’t do him nearly enough justice. Douglas Silva entered the UFC at 22-0 and has been a something of a high-level gate keeper for years. (Losing to only Zubaira Tukhugov, Rob Font and Petr Yan pre-2020.)

D. Silva has gone 3-3 in his last six fights since the beginning of 2021. It is worth noting that D Silva has only lost to solid competition including Lerone Murphy, Said Nurmagomedov, and now Miles Johns, in the time period.

Who better to fight than the Payton Talbott vs. Yanis Ghemmouri fight winner? Talbott has burst on the scene after his win on last year’s season of the Contender Series. Since then, Talbott has stopped Nick Aguirre and most recently, top prospect, Cameron Saaiman earlier this year. Yanis is 3-1 and lost his UFC debut to William Gomis in his last fight. What better way to fast-track ’em? The pair fight on June 29.

D. Silva’s next fight: Yanis Ghemmouri vs. Payton Talbott winner

Timmy Cuamba

Timmy Cuamba was defeated by unanimous decision at the hands of Lucas Almedia at UFC Vegas 93. Now 0-2 with the promotion, Timmy will likely be in a tough position in his next time out. Though it does help that Cuamba’s first loss with the UFC was a very close split decision against Bolaji Oki in February.

Timmy should fight Herbert Burns. ‘The Blaze’ is on a three-fight losing streak and has been stopped in each loss. His last time out was back in March when he was stopped in the second round by Julio Arce. Burns needs a win, bad, as though he is 2-3 with the UFC, he hasn’t seen the win column since 2020.

Timmy’s next fight: Herbert Burns

Garrett Armfield

Brady Hiestand submitted Garrett Armfield in a wild back and forth fight on Saturday. The loss snapped Armfield’s two-fight win streak consisting of a first-round finish over Toshiomi Kazama and a unanimous decision victory over Brad Katona in January.

Armfield is now 2-2 in the UFC and still just 27 years old. Armfield put on a competitive fight and that should be reflected in his next matchup. He should fight the winner of Kyung Ho Kang vs. Muin Gafurov who fight on June 22nd. Muin is 0-2 in the UFC but his losses are to John Castaneda and most recently Said Nurmagomedov, in September of last year. Muin is also a 6-fight veteran of the ONE FC promotion where he took former UFC standout, Jon Lineker. Kyung Ho Kang is 8-4 in the UFC with his most recent wins over Batgerel Danaa and Cristian Quinoez.

Garrett’s next fight: Kyung Ho Kang vs. Muin Gafurov winner

Jose Johnson

Jose Johnson lost a one-sided unanimous decision against hot prospect, Asu Almabayev on Saturday. It was Johnson’s first go at flyweight professionally and at 6’0″ tall, he performed well at the weight, against a tough guy.

Johnson is now 1-2 with the UFC. And with Jose looking like he is comfortable at flyweight; his next fight should be against Lucas Rocha. Lucas is a 2023 Contender Series product that, after a little trouble on the scale, finished his opponent, Davi Bittencourt, in the second round to earn a UFC contract. Johnson and Rocha were scheduled to fight in April before Jose withdrew. Rocha never ended up fighting and is still looking to make his UFC debut. Great one to rebook.

Jose’s next fight: Lucas Rocha

Josh Quinlan

Josh Quinlan lost a close split decision to Adam Fugitt to kick off the UFC Vegas 93 main card. Quinlan has now lost three fights in a row. His only win with the promotion was a 2022 first round finish against Jason Witt.

Quinlan was scheduled to fight Ange Loosa in 2023 before Loosa withdrew. Loosa is fighting Gabriel Bonfim on July 13. But both of those fighters now have two wins with the promotion and Josh is 1-3.

Quinlan should fight Rhys McKee. Rhys was last in action back in March when he lost a split decision to Chidi Njokuani. Before that he lost a unanimous decision to Ange Loosa. McKee is 0-4 in the UFC, and it’d be a good fight to decide who stays on the roster.

Josh’s next fight: Rhys McKee

The post What’s Next: UFC Vegas 93 Losers appeared first on Cageside Press.

Hailing from Kazakhstan, Almabayev went undefeated in thirteen fights before joining the UFC, where he went 2-0 with two submissions before meeting Johnson. Jose was moving down from bantamweight to flyweight, a division he has never fought in and one that people were skeptical he could make. However, at 6’0″ he made the limit at 126 lbs, and so the fight was on.

As the much smaller man, Almabayev retreated and circled to start the fight. Johnson remained patient because of the wrestling threat but felt his way forward behind kicks. When he threw a teep to the midsection ninety seconds into the round, Assu grabbed the leg, pulled forward into a body-lock, and twisted Jose to the ground. Almabayev landed in half-guard but Johnson regained full. Almabayev landed nothing big, but consistent damage with short shots put him ahead. Johnson scrambled to his feet but Almabayev dashed to the back body-lock and then took the back. He almost took the neck, too, but Jose just barely slipped out of the rear-naked choke, surviving to the end of the round.

Almabayev opened round two with a surprise spinning kick that landed on Johnson’s chin. He then shot but Johnson got on top in a high mount, which allowed Almabayev to wrestle up and end on top. Johnson was able to lock up a triangle at the end of the scramble, however, which forced Almabayev to defend for the next minute. When Asu did get out, he instantly got on the back of Johnson and instantly went on the attack. Johnson turned and forced Almabayev to go to mount, where Jose was able to regain butterfly and then full guard. He never escaped fully though, and got his back taken again in the final thirty seconds of the round, where Almabayev attacked with damage and a choke attempt.

Johnson’s cardio level bore watching coming into the final round given his history at higher weight classes. Almabayev opened with a spinning kick to the body and a shot, which was partly successful. Johnson got up but Almabayev got on the rear body-lock. However Johnson was able to turn the tables by pushing Almabayev over and getting mount, then the back take. He attacked the submission he needed to win the fight but Asu scrambled and turned until he ended up back on top. The Kazakh wrestled dominantly and landed ground strikes consistently, only working his way to the back with one minute left in the round. Johnson fought the hands diligently, however, and protected his neck right to the horn, despite several close calls with the choke attempts of Almabayev.

The decision obviously went as expected, with Asu Almabayev winning all three rounds on all three scorecards. ‘Zulfikar’ declared himself one of the top five best flyweights in the world and called out Kai Kara-France in a bold statement.

Official Result: Asu Almabayev def. Jose Johnson by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

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“I see myself being a champion in this division,” Johnson told reporters on Thursday.

“I like that matchup with (Alexandre) Pantoja, soon, and I’m going to show ya’ll why soon.”

Johnson (16-8) draws Almabayev on Saturday night. Johnson plans to showcase against his opponent and show why he’s ready for a Pantoja matchup.

“This guy (Almabayev) is 16 or something like that. After I take him out I want either a top 15 or a top 10 guy. All eyes are going to be on me There’s no way for it not to be. I’m huge. I’m going to make history,” he said.

“I had my fight at 135 and was fairly successful. I’m going to go back up and dominate that division too, but first I want to take the 125 division.”

Johnson steps into the cage as a 6-foot flyweight which is rare to say the least given what that means for most in terms of cutting weight.

“I’ve actually fought at flyweight before, but I was an amateur and I was much younger. So there was a huge concern that you put on a significant amount more muscle how easy would that be? Because it was terrible last time I’m not even going to lie,” he said.

“With proper guidance and the nutritionist over here at the PI (Performance Institute) it’s been going great. I was lower than 135 yesterday and I feel amazing.”

Watch the entire media day scrum with Jose Johnson above.

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“My strongest (skill) set is wrestling. I think I’m fighting like Georges St. Pierre,” Alamabayev told reporters through a translator on Thursday.

“Or Arman Tsarukyan.”

Almabayev (19-2) faces Johnson at UFC Vegas 93. Johnson makes his return to action for the first time since last November.

“He’s a good fighter. He has good striking, good wrestling, but I’m already long in this sport. All the time I have strategy for every fighter who I fight with,” he said.

With a win at UFC Vegas 93 Almabayev looks to call out someone in the top 10 in hopes to thrust himself into a title shot sooner than later.

“It depends on the result of the fight, but it doesn’t matter. I will call anyone,” said Almabayev.

“I believe in my abilities, but after the fight I hope I will call someone from top 10.”

When asked if he had a name ready to go Almabayev smiled.

“After the fight,” he said.

Watch the entire media day scrum with Asu Almabayev above. He takes on Jose Johnson at UFC Vegas 93 on Saturday night.

The post Asu Almabayev Looking For Top 10 Fight After Saturday appeared first on Cageside Press.

Jose “Lobo Solitario” Johnson (16-8 MMA, 1-1 UFC)

*Flyweight(125lbs.): UFC/Career Debut

Bantamweight(135lbs.): 1-1 (UFC), 1-1 (CS), 1-1 (LFAF), 6-3 (MMA)

Featherweight(145lbs.): 5-1 (MMA)

Lightweight(155lbs.): 1-1 (MMA)

Jose stands at 6’0″ with a 71.5″ reach. A frame that wouldn’t be out of place in the UFC’s 155lbs division. Johnson, a high paced, Muay Thai striker, is set to make his debut at flyweight on UFC Vegas 93 on June 15 opposite of Asu Almabaev. Jose’s opponent stands at just 5’4″ with a 65″ reach for comparison.

Jose Johnson debuted in pro MMA at 145lbs in 2016. ‘Lobo Solitario’ would lose his debut and the following fight in the lightweight division before claiming his first win in the following fight back at 145lbs.

All of Jose’s fights that have anything to do with the UFC were at bantamweight (including his Lookin’ for a Fight and Contender Series appearances). Johnson fought on the 2020 season of the Contender Series, losing a unanimous decision to Ronnie Lawrence. After an early 2021 unanimous decision victory, Jose was finished in just over 30 seconds by Mana Martinez on Fury FC 46: Lookin’ For a Fight. Johnson bounced back, taking just two rounds to submit undefeated fighter, Mo Miller, on Fury FC 53: Lookin’ For a Fight. After another quick stoppage, Johnson fought on the 2022 season of the Contender Series where he defeated Jack Cartwright in a blisteringly paced, unanimous decision.

Jose is 1-1 with the UFC. ‘Lobo Solitario’ was caught in a twister in his short notice debut against Da’Mon Blackshear last August. Johnson was victorious in his last fight, scoring an aggressive submission stoppage against Chad Anheliger in the last seconds of their fight in November.

In a recent interview on Top Turtle Podcast Episode 433, with Daniel Vreeland of Cageside Press, Jose Johnson spoke on why he wasn’t worried about moving down, “Ever since like working with the UFC, I’ve really have gotten my, – I don’t know, I’d guess you’d say my weight together-I was always a… bigger 135er, I’ve even competed at 145lbs. and 155lbs.” Johnson revealed.

“But I cut a lot of things out of my life, and it was just easier for me to get that weight down.” Johnson, who turned 29 years old last month continued, saying, “And working with those guys (UFC Performance Institute) and they’re sending me meals and (I’m) taking supplements and stuff now like… It just made, for my body, (it) a lot easier to come down.”  Johnson said.  The Michigan-born fighter also reported he didn’t feel “depleted or anything like that” during his recent weight cut and felt like he could cut even more weight.

“I have done 125 before in the past, when I was younger, and I wasn’t in shape like how I am now.”

Johnson had four fights at 125lbs as an amateur, going 2-2, and losing to current UFC fighters Charles Johnson and Carlos Hernandez. All of those fights were in 2015.  Jose boasted both an impressive and active amateur career, amassing a 24-13 record spanning from 2013 to 2016.

“Why not make history and be the biggest 125er ever recorded? Especially if I can make a certain weight the next day?”

Johnson will be a fighter to watch on the scale. And his wrestler vs. striker matchup against Asu Almabaev, who enters the fight with a 19-2 record, will be action packed bout for fans to tune into on Saturday at UFC Vegas 93.

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Kicking off this edition of TTP is our interview with UFC flyweight, Carli Judice. Judice discusses the long layoff she faced after earning her contract on Contender Series. While it’s been difficult for her to be out of action for as long as she has, she feels more ready than ever for her debut, which comes this weekend at UFC Vegas 93. She faces Gabriella Fernandes and looks to get back to her winning ways. Plus, she also talks about her love for doughnuts and where the nickname ‘Crispy’ comes from.

Fights, Dogs, and Parlays: UFC Vegas 93 (11:57)

After UFC Louisville, we head back to the Apex for UFC Vegas 93. Flyweights main event the card with upstart contender Tatsuro Taira trying to make his name against divisional stalwart Alex Perez. We’ll break down that fight as well as some of the other best fights on this card. Then, we’ll dig a little deeper into the odds to find you some value plays. We’ve come up with an underdog and a parlay that are going to get you a big return on your investment. Come check it out! For this segment, all odds via FanDuel Sportsbook.

Jose Johnson Interview (21:37)

Closing out this edition of TTP is our interview with UFC flyweight, Jose Johnson. We start off by discussing the long awaited UFC win for Johnson and just what it felt like to get his hand raised in the Octagon. Then we touch upon his choice to abandon the weight class he picked that win up in for a lighter one. How is the six-foot tall Johnson going to make flyweight? He says it won’t be so hard. Plus, he has some thoughts about his opponent for UFC Vegas 93, Asu Almabaev, and how he’ll take care of business.

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