Charles Johnson scored a huge comeback knockout earlier today (Sat., Aug. 23, 2025) at UFC Shanghai LIVE on ESPN+ from inside the Shanghai Indoor Stadium in Shanghai, China, starching previously undefeated flyweight prospect Lone’er Kavanagh with a huge second-round left hook.
Kavanagh, who entered this weekend as a favorite to not only win the fight but put on a show, looked great in the early going. He was able to hurt Johnson multiple times on the feet and mixed in some nice wrestling and grappling
along the way. Johnson remained dangerous, but he was certainly falling behind on the scorecards.
It was much of the same to begin the second round as Kavanagh’s footwork, speed, and precision allowed him to maintain momentum and put Johnson in trouble. That was until Johnson uncorked a nasty left hook that connected flush and sent Kavanagh crashing into the fence and then onto the canvas. Johnson followed up with a few insurance shots, but the referee was already on his way in to stop the fight.
Check out the video highlights below:
Johnson, 34, is now 5-1 in his last six UFC fights and just knocked off one of the most talented prospects in the sport today. “InnerG” also holds an upset knockout win over Joshua Van from their meeting back in July 2024. This newest knockout win should be enough to land Johnson a top 10 opponent his next time out.
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