Charles Johnson is entering UFC Fight Night 253 with a chip on his shoulder.
Johnson (17-6 MMA, 6-4 UFC) takes on streaking flyweight Ramazan Temirov (18-2-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) in Saturday’s prelim opener (ESPN+) at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
Considering that Johnson is a ranked UFC flyweight who’s on a four-fight winning streak, he was expecting to draw a bigger fight.
“I don’t have anything against it, but I look at the opportunities other guys get when they come into the promotion from RIZIN, from Eternal, but what are these promotions compared to LFA, that has had hundreds of not only ranked guys, but a plethora of champions?” Johnson said in an interview with UFC.com. “I’m a three-time champion from that promotion.
“Why am I not getting an opportunity when I’m on a three-fight winning streak, four-fight winning streak? Give me a chance. So this is where we are. I’m never get upset at them or their opportunities, but it’s like, ‘When is it going to be my turn? When am I going to get the opportunities these guys are getting?’ I’m on a four-fight winning streak in one year, who else has done that, in this division?”
Johnson had a rocky start to his UFC career. The 34-year-old drew undefeated phenom Muhammad Mokaev in his octagon debut in July 2022, and went 2-4 in his first six fights. But a perfect 4-0 in a busy 2024 allowed Johnson to turn his career around, as he takes inspiration from several former champions who have been able to do the same.
“Charles Oliveira’s career, Max Holloway’s career – they had early losses before they rattled off seven, eight, nine wins to become world champions,” Johnson said.
“For me, it’s another opportunity to prove my worth, another opportunity to continue to show myself. I’m just looking to dominate, getting back to how I was in LFA, moving around, talking my sh*t. It’s going to be a tough fight, but they’re all tough. I’m excited about this one.”
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