Top-ranked UFC flyweight contender Charles Johnson is set to make a surprisingly quick turnaround after starting the year off with a knockout loss.
The UFC’s 2026 schedule is officially underway now following back-to-back numbered events with UFC 324 and UFC 325, and the world’s leading MMA promotion is set to return to the newly-renamed Meta APEX facility this weekend for UFC Vegas 113.
The UFC’s next APEX show is set for March 14, and Laerte Vianna reports that Charles Johnson is stepping in at the event to face Bruno Silva after Silva’s original opponent Lone’er Kavanagh accepted his own short-notice opportunity to headline UFC Mexico against Brandon Moreno.
Charles Johnson Steps In To Fight At UFC Vegas 114
A former LFA flyweight champion, Johnson joined the UFC in 2022 and is currently the promotion’s #13-ranked flyweight contender.
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After falling short in his promotional debut against the still-undefeated Muhammad Mokaev, Johnson rebounded with back-to-back victories over Zhalgas Zhumagulov and Jimmy Flick before he suffered three-straight losses during the course of 2023. That difficult stretch preceded an impressive four-fight win streak that vaulted “InnerG” into the flyweight rankings and also saw him knock out current UFC Flyweight Champion Joshua Van in 2024.
Alex Perez (red gloves) fights Charles Johnson (blue gloves) during UFC 324 at T-Mobile Arena. | Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images
Johnson’s winning run came to an end when he met Ramazan Temirov in his first outing of 2025, and he rebounded by upsetting the aforementioned Kavanagh at UFC Shanghai before Alex Perez stopped the 35-year-old in the first round at UFC 324.
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Johnson will be less than two months removed from being stopped with strikes when steps in to meet Silva, who is currently ranked one spot below the American at #14 in the flyweight rankings.
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A member of the UFC roster since 2019, Silva’s best Octagon run came from 2021-2024 when he stopped four-straight opponents and earned “Performance of the Night” bonuses for all four of those victories. That streak came to an end in 2024 when he was stopped by Manel Kape, and at UFC 316 he was also knocked out by Van during the latter fighter’s run to the UFC flyweight title.
Bruno Silva (red gloves) fights Hyunsung Park (blue gloves) during UFC Fight Night at Rogers Arena. | Simon Fearn-Imagn Images
Silva returned to the win column last October when he submitted Hyun Sung Park in the second round, and now he’ll get the chance to climb further up the flyweight rankings when he and Johnson square off at UFC Vegas 114.
UFC Vegas 114 Fight Card
• Main Event: Josh Emmett vs. Kevin Vallejos
• Amanda Lemos vs. Gillian Robertson
• Brad Tavares vs. Eryk Anders
• Oumar Sy vs. Ion Cutelaba
• Chris Curits vs. Myktybek Orolbai
• Vitor Petrino vs. Steven Asplund
• Bruno Silva vs. Charles Johnson
• Bia Mesquita vs. Montserrat Rendon
• Elijah Smith vs. Su Young You
• Rinya Nakamura vs. Luan Lacerda
• Marwan Rahiki vs. Harry Hardwick
• Piera Rodriguez vs. Sam Hughes
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