Getty Images/UFC
Charles Johnson sent a message to Ultimate Fighting Championship flyweights: Count him out at your own peril.
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Johnson (16-6, 4-4 UFC), who took the fight on 11 days’ notice, capped off the UFC on ESPN 59 undercard with a rousing knockout of red-hot phenom Joshua Van (10-2, 3-1 UFC), handing Van his first Octagon loss and snatching victory from the jaws of probable defeat. “InnerG” got off to a solid start, taking advantage of Van’s penchant for starting slowly and hacking away at his lead leg. However, Van gradually took over as the round wore on, exploding out of his compact stance with his patented body punch flurries and a couple of right hands upstairs that hurt Johnson. Van kept building momentum in the middle frame, marching down the taller fighter and continuing to catch him with clean punches. Johnson was game, weathering Van’s offense and landing some solid blows of his own, but the fight was clearly trending i…