Charles Anthony Johnson (born January 10, 1991) is an American mixed martial artist and former professional boxer who currently competes in the Flyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He is a former Legacy Fighting Alliance (LFA) flyweight champion. As of October 3, 2026, he is #15 in the Meta UFC flyweight rankings.
Background Johnson was born in Topeka, Kansas, and moved to St. Louis, Missouri, at the age of four. During high school, he was selected to represent his state in wrestling, cross country, long distance running, and sprinting, and was competing in the state championships in American football.
Mixed martial arts career Early career Starting his professional career in 2016, Johnson fought under various promotions, most notably Legacy Fighting Alliance.
On July 2, 2021, Johnson faced Yuma Horiuchi in the LFA flyweight interim championship match at LFA 110, winning the title by split decision in 5 rounds.
On August 27, 2021, Johnson faced challenger Juan Camilo in the LFA flyweight title match at LFA 114, winning by TKO in the second round with punches. He successfully defended the interim title for the first time, and after the match, regular champion Victor Altamirano moved to UFC, and Johnson was recognized as the regular champion.
On January 21, 2021, Johnson faced challenger Carlos Mota in the LFA flyweight title match at LFA 122, fighting a fierce battle and winning by TKO with a right straight in the fifth round. He successfully defended the title for the first time.
Ultimate Fighting Championship Johnson made his UFC debut against Muhammad Mokaev on July 23, 2022, at UFC Fight Night 212. He lost the fight via unanimous decision.
Johnson faced Zhalgas Zhumagulov at UFC Fight Night 215. He won the fight via split decision. 12 out of 13 media outlets scored the fight in favor of Zhumagulov.
Johnson faced Jimmy Flick on January 14, 2023, UFC Fight Night 217. He won the fight via technical knockout in the first round.
Johnson faced Ode' Osbourne on February 25, 2023, at UFC Fight Night 220. He lost the fight via split decision.
Johnson faced Cody Durden on April 29, 2023, at UFC on ESPN 45. He lost the fight via unanimous decision.
Johnson faced Rafael Estevam on November 18, 2023, at UFC Fight Night 232. He lost the fight by unanimous decision.
Johnson faced Azat Maksum on February 3, 2024 at UFC Fight Night 235, replacing Nate Maness on that bout. He won the fight by unanimous decision. This fight earned him his first Fight of the Night award.
In his next fight, he faced Jake Hadley on May 11, 2024, at UFC on ESPN 56. He won the fight via unanimous decision.
Johnson faced Joshua Van on July 13, 2024, at UFC on ESPN 59. He won the bout by knockout in the third round. This earned him his first Performance of the Night award.
Johnson faced Su Mudaerji on October 19, 2024 at UFC Fight Night 245. He won the fight by unanimous decision.
Johnson faced Ramazon Temirov on March 1, 2025 at UFC Fight Night 253. He lost the fight by unanimous decision.
Johnson faced Lone'er Kavanagh on August 23, 2025 at UFC Fight Night 257. He won the fight via knockout in round two. This fight earned him another Performance of the Night award.
Johnson faced Alex Perez on January 24, 2026, at UFC 324. Perez weighed in at 128.5 pounds, two and a half pounds over the flyweight non-title fight limit. As a result, the bout proceeded at catchweight, and Perez was fined 25 percent of his purse, which was awarded to Johnson. He lost the fight via technical knockout in round one.
Johnson faced Bruno Gustavo da Silva on March 14, 2026 at UFC Fight Night 269. He won the fight by split decision.
Johnson faced Asu Almabayev on June 27, 2026 at UFC Fight Night 280. He lost the fight via a Suloev submission in the third round.
Johnson was scheduled to face Jose Ochoa on August 15, 2026 at UFC 330. However, Ochoa pulled out for undisclosed reasons three days before the event and was replaced by promotional newcomer and former LFA Flyweight Champion Eduardo Henrique in a 130 pound catchweight bout. Johnson defeated Henrique via a rare scottish twister submission in the third round. This fight earned him a $100,000 Performance of the Night award.
Johnson is scheduled to face Brandon Moreno on December 12, 2026, at UFC 335.
Championships and accomplishments Mixed martial arts Ultimate Fighting Championship Fight of the Night (One time) Performance of the Night (Three times) Legacy Fighting Alliance LFA Flyweight Champion (One time) MMA Fighting 2024 Second Team MMA All-Star
Mixed martial arts record
|Win |align=center|20–9 |Eduardo Henrique |Submission (twister) |UFC 330 | |align=center|3 |align=center|1:36 |Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
|Loss |align=center|19–9 |Asu Almabayev |Submission (Suloev stretch) |UFC Fight Night: Fiziev vs. Torres | |align=center|3 |align=center|3:33 |Baku, Azerbaijan
|Win |align=center|19–8 |Bruno Gustavo da Silva |Decision (split) |UFC Fight Night: Emmett vs. Vallejos | |align=center|3 |align=center|5:00 |Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
|Loss |align=center|18–8 |Alex Perez |TKO (punches) |UFC 324 | |align=center|1 |align=center|3:16 |Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
|Win |align=center|18–7 |Lone'er Kavanagh |KO (punch) |UFC Fight Night: Walker vs. Zhang | |align=center|2 |align=center|4:35 |Shanghai, China
|Loss |align=center|17–7 |Ramazan Temirov |Decision (unanimous) |UFC Fight Night: Kape vs. Almabayev | |align=center|3 |align=center|5:00 |Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
|Win |align=center|17–6 |Su Mudaerji |Decision (unanimous) |UFC Fight Night: Hernandez vs. Pereira | |align=center|3 |align=center|5:00 |Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
|Win |align=center|16–6 |Joshua Van |KO (punches) |UFC on ESPN: Namajunas vs. Cortez | |align=center|3 |align=center|0:20 |Denver, Colorado, United States
|Win |align=center|15–6 |Jake Hadley |Decision (unanimous) |UFC on ESPN: Lewis vs. Nascimento | |align=center|3 |align=center|5:00 |St. Louis, Missouri, United States
|Win |align=center|14–6 |Azat Maksum |Decision (unanimous) |UFC Fight Night: Dolidze vs. Imavov | |align=center|3 |align=center|5:00 |Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
|Loss |align=center| |Rafael Estevam |Decision (unanimous) |UFC Fight Night: Allen vs. Craig | |align=center|3 |align=center|5:00 |Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
|Loss |align=center|13–5 |Cody Durden |Decision (unanimous) |UFC on ESPN: Song vs. Simón | |align=center|3 |align=center|5:00 |Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
|Loss |align=center|13–4 |Ode' Osbourne |Decision (split) |UFC Fight Night: Muniz vs. Allen | |align=center|3 |align=center|5:00 |Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
|Win |align=center|13–3 |Jimmy Flick |TKO (elbows and punches) |UFC Fight Night: Strickland vs. Imavov | |align=center|1 |align=center|4:33 |Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
|Win |align=center|12–3 |Zhalgas Zhumagulov |Decision (split) |UFC Fight Night: Nzechukwu vs. Cuțelaba | |align=center|3 |align=center|5:00 |Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
|Loss |align=center|11–3 |Muhammad Mokaev |Decision (unanimous) |UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs. Aspinall | |align=center|3 |align=center|5:00 |London, England
|Win |align=center|11–2 |Carlos Mota |TKO (punches) |LFA 122 | |align=center|5 |align=center|0:45 |St. Louis, Missouri, United States
|Win |align=center|10–2 |João Camilo |TKO (punches) |LFA 114 | |align=center|2 |align=center|4:07 |St. Louis, Missouri, United States
|Win |align=center|9–2 |Yuma Horiuchi |Decision (split) |LFA 110 | |align=center|5 |align=center|5:00 |Shawnee, Oklahoma, United States
|Win |align=center|8–2 |Karlee Pangilinan |Submission (anaconda choke) |LFA 100 | |align=center|2 |align=center|1:41 |Park City, Kansas, United States
|Loss |align=center|7–2 |Brandon Royval |Decision (unanimous) |LFA 48 | |align=center|3 |align=center|5:00 |Kearney, Nebraska, United States
|Win |align=center|7–1 |Andrew Kimzey |TKO (punches) |LFA 42 | |align=center| 1 |align=center| 1:41 |Branson, Missouri, United States
|Loss |align=center|6–1 |Sean Santella |Decision (unanimous) |PA Cage Fight 31 | |align=center|3 |align=center|5:00 |Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, United States
|Win |align=center|6–0 |Marc Tong Van |Submission (brabo choke) |Elite Fight League 1 | |align=center|1 |align=center|3:20 |Cedar Rapids, Iowa, United States
|Win |align=center|5–0 |Jeremiah Cullum |Decision (split) |LFA 21 | |align=center|3 |align=center|5:00 |Branson, Missouri, United States
|Win |align=center| 4–0 |Michael Graves |Decision (unanimous) |Gateway Fighting Series 9 | |align=center|3 |align=center|5:00 |St. Charles, Missouri, United States
|Win |align=center|3–0 |Ray Allard |Submission (kimura) |Fight Hard MMA 19 | |align=center|2 |align=center|2:20 |St. Charles, Missouri, United States
|Win |align=center|2–0 |Alex Stephens |TKO (submission to punches) |True Revelation MMA 31 | |align=center|1 |align=center|N/A |Burlington, Iowa, United States
|Win |align=center|1–0 |Austin Reed |TKO (punches) |Ultimate Blue Corner FC 1 | |align=center|2 |align=center|2:30 |Kansas City, Missouri, United States |
Professional boxing record
ResultRecordOpponentTypeRound, timeDateLocationNotes10Win1–5–4Phongsiri TonabutTKO4 (6), Feb 15, 20209Loss0–5–4Pablo SanchezUD4Aug 10, 20198Loss0–4–4Carltavius Jones JohnsonUD4May 4, 20197Loss0–3–4Michael ValentinMD4Apr 26, 20196Draw0–2–4Tyjuan TownsendMD4Apr 6, 20195Loss0–2–3Robert O'QuinnTKO3 (4), Feb 23, 20194Loss0–1–3Jeremy HillUD4Jul 14, 20183Draw0–0–3Kaywann SistrunkMD4May 11, 20182Draw0–0–2Joel FloresMD4Feb 2, 20181Draw0–0–1Tyjuan Townsend UD4May 12, 2017
See also List of current UFC fighters List of male mixed martial artists
References
External links