Joshua Vann and Charles Johnson at the UFC Denver weigh-in. Credit: Youtube/UFC
Rounding out UFC Denver’s six-bout preliminary card were flyweight bouts Charles Johnson and Joshua Vann.
Vann had won all three of his previous UFC bouts and was on an eight-fight winning streak overall, while Johnson had won two in a row before Saturday.
As is typical in bouts between 125-pounders, Johnson and Vann started the fight right away at Ball Arena. The bigger Johnson landed kicks from the outside. Johnson closed the distance and mixed in strikes to the head and body, forcing Vann to back away, only to regroup and continue to take down his opponent.
But it was “Inner G” Johnson who continued to mix up his attack with another kick to the body. Vann fought back with low kicks, but the amount was small compared to the power of Johnson’s attacks. Johnson had the advantage as he approached the fence. From there, he went for a takedown.
Late in the round, Vann finally seemed to get going. He was boxing and landing combos, and Johnson was just defending. They both briefly went to the ground, and the fight went into the second round with a different complexion.
Vann’s boxing continued to shine in the second round, forcing Johnson to back off, but Johnson seemed to be getting back on track, landing some big punches. Both fighters fought at full strength, and the fight was mostly stand-up combat. Given Vann’s slow start in the first round, it was likely the fight would have gone to the third round, assuming he had enough power in the second round.
Charles Johnson defied the judges’ expectations early in the third round, coming out aggressively and rocking Vann, then landing a powerful uppercut that knocked Vann’s head back, sending him falling to the canvas and Johnson landing one more punch that ended the bout.
Official result: Charles Johnson defeats Joshua Vann by knockout, round 3, 0:20
