Two extremely promising flyweight prospects will dance on the next Ultimate Fighting Championship card that goes down in London.
The UFC’s broadcast partner of ESPN announced on Thursday the first matchup for the UFC Fight Night event that will go down on July 23. At flyweight, Muhammad Mokaev (7-0) will welcome Charles Johnson (11-2) to the organization. The two men will square off in London on that date, according to a source that spoke to Sherdog about this event, likely at the O2 Arena. Minutes after the news broke, Mokaev expressed his excitement for the pairing on his social media.
Fresh off his triumphant promotional debut this March, Britain’s Mokaev will be looking to keep his unbeaten record intact. With a lengthy amateur career under his belt, “The Punisher” surged into the sport as a professional in August 2020. When he faces Johnson in July, he will have competed in nine pro bouts in less than two years. His second fight, a win against Hayden Sherriff in 2020, does come with some controversy. Sherriff is known for falsifying his identity in competition, and entering into fights to lose quickly and allow his opponents to pick up wins at his expense. Mokaev ran through him in less than a minute with a body kick and follow-up punches.
Unifying the Legacy Fighting Alliance flyweight strap in January by knockout out then-undefeated Carlos Mota, “InnerG” Johnson strung together four wins under the LFA banner in under a year to earn a spot on the UFC roster. His lone defeat in the LFA cage came against future UFC contender Brandon Royval in 2018, and he has won in MMA ever since. The two come in with similar finish rates, as Johnson has stopped 73% of his foes while Mokaev has earned 71% of his career wins inside the distance.
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