Finally someone stepped up, crazy how many
people in this game are scared but respect to this opponent for
saying yes. I will smash him and then the guys in the rankings cant
run anymore @ufc
Thanks to my management @ParadigmSports
and UFC matchmaker @Mickmaynard2
#TWINZZ— Muhammad Mokaev (@muhammadmokaev)
April 21, 2022
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.