Charles Johnson says you’re paying attention to the wrong 125-pound prospects in the UFC.
Charles Johnson met the media Saturday after his win over Lone’er Kavanagh at UFC Fight Night 257.
Johnson (18-7 MMA, 7-5 UFC) took out Kavanagh (9-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) with a second-round TKO on the prelims of the UFC’s return to China at Mercedes-Benz Arena in Shanghai. The loss was the first of Kavanagh’s career.
Johnson’s UFC record, on paper, is nothing spectacular at 7-5. But the flyweight said if a closer look is taken, the threat he presents in the division will be revealed.
The 34-year-old Johnson has won five of his past six fights. The lone loss in that stretch came in March to Ramazan Temirov, and at best it was a debatable decision that Johnson and several other analysts thought should have gone his way. Still, he has three bonuses in his current run, which likely make up for that one bump in the road.
And it’s the names he’s beating, and their records, that he says shows these flyweight prospects need some more seasoning.
“For me it’s just about timing,” Johnson told UFC.com after the fight. “I’m experienced. He’s a young guy. He’s going to have speed. What beats speed? Timing. That’s what that right hand is. It’s not a fluke. It happened to Josh Van, the No. 1 contender. It happened to Su Mudaerji. It happened to Jake Hadley. I can go down the list. Timing beats speed.
It’s not about the number. It’s not about the age. Can we stop talking about prospects because of the age? Look at what’s happening in front of you. Five of my last six fights, I have wins. My last (loss) was very close. But I beat a (9-0) guy, a 10-1 guy, a 10-1 guy and a 16-0 guy. Su Mudaerji was ranked his entire career when he fought me. Why are we talking about prospects? I’m the biggest prospect.”
Check out Johnson’s post-fight interview in the video below.
