Ahead of his return to action at this weekend's UFC Fight Night, flyweight Charles Johnson has one question — when is it going to be the turn of "InnerG?"
Johnson will enter the cage inside the Apex Saturday night riding momentum from four straight wins, including a vicious knockout of dangerous prospect Joshua Van last July in Denver.
Despite that — and despite rising to #12 in the division — the former LFA champion is still not getting his shot opposite ranked opposition.
This weekend will even see the 34-year-old tasked with facing a charging newcomer who boasts just one fight in the Octagon, Uzbekistan's Ramazon Temirov, in the very first matchup on the card.
From choice of opponent to card placement, many in the MMA community have been questioning the treatment of Johnson. And the man himself evidently doesn't need reminding of what he should have earned.
I don’t have anything against it, but I look at the opportunities other guys get when they come into the promotion from RIZIN, from Eternal, but what are these promotions compared to LFA, that has had hundreds of not only ranked guys, but a plethora of champions?” Johnson said during an interview with E. Spencer Kyte for UFC.com. "I’m a three-time champion from that promotion. Why am I not getting an opportunity when I’m on a three-fight winning streak, four-fight winning streak? Give me a chance.
So this is where we are,” he added. “I’m never get upset at them or their opportunities, but it’s like, ‘When is it gonna be my turn? When am I gonna get the opportunities these guys are getting?’ I’m on a four-fight winning streak in one year — who else has done that, in this division?
Regardless of his feeling toward the latest assignment handed to him, Johnson will look to do what he's done ever since a three-fight losing skid in 2023 — win.
And should "InnerG" accomplish that feat at the expense of a highly touted prospect who's won 10 on the bounce, his claim to a high-ranked opponent could become undeniable.