Flyweight contender Asu Almabayev has spoken candidly about his upcoming opponent Charles Johnson, calling him an experienced, well-rounded fighter. Almabayev acknowledged the dangers Johnson presents — noting that Johnson knocked out Joshua Van — but expressed full confidence in his own abilities. He vowed to fight until the final bell and use every opportunity to secure victory.
Flyweight contender Asu Almabayev has broken his silence on his upcoming UFC matchup against Charles Johnson, offering a candid assessment of his opponent while making clear he intends to leave nothing on the table when the two men meet.
Almabayev, nicknamed "Zulfikar," enters the contest ranked eighth in the flyweight division and carries a record of 24 wins and 3 losses. The 32-year-old Kazakhstani fighter, who trains out of DAR Pro Team, is a relentless grappling presence — averaging 4.46 takedowns per 15 minutes and 1.5 submission attempts in the same span. He lands significant strikes at a rate of 2.31 per minute with 50 percent accuracy, suggesting a patient, control-oriented game plan.
Johnson, fighting out of Murcielago MMA, brings a wealth of experience to the matchup. The 35-year-old American stands at five-foot-nine with a 70-inch reach and holds a professional record of 19 wins and 9 losses. Fighting out of a switch stance, "InnerG" lands 4.77 significant strikes per minute at 49 percent accuracy and has shown he can threaten with submissions, averaging 0.3 attempts per 15 minutes. Almabayev specifically acknowledged Johnson's knockout of Joshua Van as evidence of the danger his opponent carries.
Van, the current flyweight champion nicknamed "The Fearless," is a 24-year-old from Myanmar with a 17-2 record and one of the division's most prolific outputs, landing 8.84 significant strikes per minute at 56 percent accuracy. The fact that Johnson put him away underscores his finishing power at this level.
Why it matters
- Almabayev sits eighth in the flyweight rankings, making a strong performance critical to his title-contention hopes
- Johnson's knockout of champion Joshua Van signals he remains a credible threat despite his record
- The stylistic contrast — Almabayev's grappling volume against Johnson's striking and switch-stance versatility — sets up a compelling tactical battle
