Charles Johnson had some tough moments early, but delivered an emphatic finish late with a stunning third-round knockout over highly touted flyweight prospect Joshua Van at UFC Denver.
While the first two rounds were competitive, Johnson left nothing to chance and he came out looking for the finish as soon as the bell rang for Round 3. He ended up clipping Van with a punch that landed just behind the ear and then uncorked a long-range uppercut that connected clean.
Van’s head snapped back in violent fashion before he crashed down to the canvas with the referee rushing in to stop the action before he suffered any further damage. The end came just 20 seconds into the third and final round with Johnson getting the knockout win.
CHARLES JOHNSON COMES BACK OUT OF NOWHERE AND KNOCKS OUT JOSH VAN #UFCDenver pic.twitter.com/wm41JfUCcE
— Spinnin Backfist (@SpinninBackfist) July 14, 2024
“I got this fight 11 days ago,” Johnson said afterward. “I went up to 9,300 feet, ran hills for three or four days. The third round hit, nobody’s touching me. I felt I him with that right hook and the next thing is to come up under.”
While Johnson definitely had his moments, Van was landing the better strikes through the first two rounds as he consistently connected with both power and accuracy. Van measured his shots, but still got into some wild exchanges with Johnson on the feet.
Van’s striking looked crisp all night long, but it was a lapse in defense that cost him on Saturday.
With Johnson coming out aggressive, the St. Louis native made sure there was no need for the scorecards as he was launching bombs as soon as he got released from his corner in the third round. Johnson came after Van with everything in his arsenal and that’s when he landed a perfectly timed hook. With Van wobbled from the punch, Johnson threw the uppercut from distance to put his opponent down and out for the final time.
It was an incredibly impressive finish, especially with all the attention Van has been receiving lately as one of the top up-and-comers at 125 pounds.
Johnson has now rattled off three wins in a row — all in 2024 — and it appears he might try to get at least one more before the year is over.
