UFC Fight Night 257: Lone’er Kavanagh vs Charles Johnson Preview & Prediction
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One of the UK's most highly touted MMA prospects faces his stiffest test to date, as Lone'er Kavanagh throws down with flyweight mainstay, Charles Johnson.
Lone’er Kavanagh vs Charles Johnson facts
What time are Lone’er Kavanagh and Charles Johnson expected to walk out?
Where is UFC Fight Night 257: Walker vs Zhang? Shanghai Indoor Stadium, Shanghai, China
Where can I get tickets for UFC Fight Night 257: Walker vs Zhang? Click here for the latest ticket information for UFC Fight Night 257
What TV channel is UFC Fight Night 257: Walker vs Zhang on? UK – TNT Sports / USA – ESPN+
Where can I stream UFC Fight Night 257: Walker vs Zhang? UK – TNT Sports subscribers can stream the event online via the TNT Sports website and discovery+ / USA – ESPN+ & UFC Fight Pass
UFC Fight Night 257: Walker vs Zhang main card
Johnny Walker vs Zhang Mingyang (Light Heavyweight)
Brian Ortega vs Aljamain Sterling (Featherweight)
Sergei Pavlovich vs Waldo Cortes-Acosta (Heavyweight)
Su Mudaerji vs Kevin Borjas (Flyweight)
Taiyilake Nueraji vs Kiefer Crosbie (Welterweight)
UFC Fight Night 257: Walker vs Zhang prelims
Maheshate Hayisaer vs Gauge Young (Lightweight)
Lone'er Kavanagh vs Charles Johnson (Flyweight)
Rong Zhu vs Austin Hubbard (Lightweight)
Michel Pereira vs Kyle Daukaus (Middleweight)
Yi Zha vs Westin Wilson (Featherweight)
Xiao Long vs You Su-young (Bantamweight)
Uran Satybaldiev vs Diyar Nurgozhay (Light Heavyweight)
Lone’er Kavanagh: The undefeated Cage Warriors alum looks to earn the biggest win of his career and break into the UFC flyweight rankings
Boasting a perfect professional record with five show stopping finishes, the sky would appear to be the limit for Lone'er Kavanagh (9-0). A dynamic striker with a deep tool bag of flashy techniques and underrated grappling ability, the 26 year old Cage Warriors standout announced himself on the big scene by scoring one of the most spectacular finishes ever seen on DWCS, obliterating An Tuan Ho with a one-punch KO from hell to earn a UFC contract. While some argued that his debut decision victory over Jose Ochoa was unconvincing, Kavanagh looked absolutely superb in his most recent appearance against Felipe dos Santos. The Great Britain Top Team representative highlighted his diverse skillset, winning striking exchanges and scoring more than 6 minutes of control time to take home another unanimous decision victory.
Charles Johnson: "Inner G" looks to lean on his experience to put paid to another upstart prospect at 125 pounds
The only man to ever beat current UFC flyweight top contender, Joshua Van, Charles Johnson (17-7) remains one of the more underrated names at 125 pounds. A slick and durable boxer with superb cardio, Johnson has never been finished and has proven more than capable of giving the best fighters at flyweight a run for their money. In addition to his shocking KO victory over "The Fearless" last July, the former LFA flyweight kingpin has fought a murderer's row of 125 pound prospects throughout his UFC tenure, sharing the cage with the likes of Muhammad Mokaev, Rafael Estevam, and Ramazan Temirov. He was last seen in action against the aforementioned Temirov in March, dropping a unanimous decision to snap an impressive four fight winning streak.
Lone’er Kavanagh vs Charles Johnson prediction
A front-runner for Fight of the Night, this is the hardest contest to pick on the card by a considerable distance.
125 pounds worth of raw potential and talent, Kavanagh is one of the best prospects in the game, a technical maestro who seemingly improves every time he steps foot in the cage. However, in Johnson, he's facing a man who has a history of stopping hyped up-and-comers in their tracks, a cardio machine who typically only comes up short against the upper echelon of the division.
The American never takes his foot off the gas, and Kavanagh will have to be at his absolute best for 15 minutes to come out on top here; Johnson came roaring back in the third round against Ramazan Temirov in his last appearance despite handily losing the first two rounds. An enormous flyweight, "Inner G" also has a significant height and reach edge going into this one, indicating that if anyone is going to score a knockout in a prolonged striking battle, it's likely to be Johnson.
As such, this one could go either way, but Kavanagh has the air of a potential future champion about him. There is a good chance that Johnson's skill, size, and craftiness may prove to be too much, too early at this point in his career, but the tentative pick is for the undefeated 26 year old to score the biggest win of his career at the expense of the flyweight mainstay.
Prediction: Lone'er Kavanagh to win
