Charles Johnson Record: 20-9-0

LFA title run

Johnson captured LFA gold in 2021, edging Yuma Horiuchi by split decision over five rounds to claim the flyweight championship. He defended the belt with a fifth-round TKO of the relentless Carlos Mota at LFA 122 in early 2022, a grueling war that showcased his cardio and finishing instinct. Those performances earned him a UFC contract and a shot at the sport's biggest stage.

UFC tenure

Johnson's Octagon debut in July 2022 was a tough one, a unanimous-decision loss to undefeated prospect Muhammad Mokaev, but he rebounded immediately with a split-decision win over Zhalgas Zhumagulov and a first-round TKO of Jimmy Flick in early 2023. A rocky stretch followed, with decision losses to Ode Osbourne, Cody Durden and unbeaten Rafael Estevam. Johnson responded with the best run of his UFC career – decisions over previously undefeated Azat Maksum and Jake Hadley, a knockout of rising contender Joshua Van, and a decision over Sumudaerji in 2024.

Recent form

After a 2025 decision loss to Ramazan Temirov, Johnson bounced back with a second-round knockout of undefeated Lone'er Kavanagh. He absorbed a first-round TKO loss to Alex Perez at UFC 324 before steadying himself with a split-decision win over Bruno Silva in early 2026, with a bout against Asu Almabayev on his schedule.

Fighting style

Johnson is a long, rangy striker who uses his reach and boxing pedigree to control distance, mixing in knockout power and a serviceable submission game. His finish breakdown – eight knockouts and three submissions among 19 wins, a 58 percent finish rate – underlines that he is a genuine finisher rather than a pure points fighter. Tellingly, he has never been submitted, a credit to his defensive grappling. The honest book on Johnson is that the bulk of his losses have come on the scorecards against high-volume and well-rounded opponents, the margin he is still working to close at the championship level.

Career highlights

• LFA Flyweight Champion — beat Yuma Horiuchi for the title and defended it with a fifth-round TKO of Carlos Mota to earn his UFC call.
• Beat unbeaten prospects — handed first career losses to Azat Maksum and knocked out Lone'er Kavanagh.
• Never been submitted — a long, rangy striker with a 58 percent finish rate whose only stoppage losses have come by strikes.