UFC Vegas 85 continues with a fight between Azat Maksum and Charles Johnson. Check out our UFC odds series for our Maksum-Johnson prediction.
UFC Vegas 85: Roman Dolidze vs. Nassourdine Imavov continues on the prelims with a fight in the flyweight division between Azat Maksum and Charles Johnson. Maksum had a successful debut with a decision victory to keep his unbeaten streak alive meanwhile, Johnson has now lost three in a row and needs a big victory this weekend at UFC Vegas 85. With that said, check out our UFC odds series for our Maksum-Johnson prediction and pick.
Azat Maksum (17-0) got the call-up to fight seasoned veteran Tyson Nam who he squeaked by via split decision. He gets the chance to show the naysayers who believed he didn’t beat Nam that he belongs in the UFC when he takes on the always entertaining and tough-out Charles Johnson this weekend at UFC Vegas 85.
Charles Johnson (13-6) got the call to the UFC after back-to-back knockout victories as the LFA Flyweight Champion to fight the undefeated Muhammad Mokaev on short notice whom he lost to via decision. Since then, Johnson has gone 2-3 with losses in each of his last three fights. He is desperately in need of a victory to keep his UFC hopes alive when he takes on undefeated prospect Azat Maksum at the UFC Apex.
Here are the UFC Odds, courtesy of DraftKings.
Azat Maksum:-225
Charles Johnson: +185
Over 2.5 rounds: -270
Under 2.5 rounds: +200
Azat Maksum came into his UFC debut as a 16-0 undefeated prospect. He was met by seasoned veteran Tyson Nam who gave him the toughest fight of his career but he was able to get out of there with a close split-decision victory. Maksum will look to keep his undefeated streak intact when he takes on Charles Johnson this weekend at the Apex.
Maksum showed in his fight against Nam that he can do a bit of everything. He can stay on the outside and utilize his rangy strikes but also mix in the grappling which will certainly be his biggest advantage in this fight. As we’ve seen time and time again Johnson has struggled against relentless grapplers most recently against Rafael Estevam, the key to success here for Maksum is pretty straightforward. As long as Maksum goes out there and pushes the pace on Johnson and attempts takedowns he will land them ultimately outworking Johnson like many others have done in the past and getting his 18th victory to stay undefeated.
Charles Johnson came into his UFC debut with a ton of hype as the LFA Flyweight Champion and a fighter who is always out there to put on exciting fights. Unfortunately, his success on the regional scene has not translated on the big stage with just a 2-4 record and losing each of his last three fights.
Johnson will be looking to get back on track against the undefeated fighter Azat Maksum fighting out of Kazakhstan. This go around he will need to start faster for the first time in his UFC career or he will suffer the same fate as his previous three losses coming into this fight. He knows that Maksum will be shooting for takedowns and as long as Johnson can keep this fight standing and he is the busier fighter he can cause the upset and get back into the win column saving his UFC career.
This is a fantastic fight in the flyweight division between Azat Maksum and Charles Johnson. Maksum underperformed a bit against Tyson Nam who was landing a lot throughout their fight. Maksum had trouble landing takedowns against the usually stout takedown defense of Nam but that shouldn’t be the case here against Johnson who’s notoriously had trouble keeping his back off the mat.
However, if Johnson somehow has leveled up his takedown defense and the ability to start fast for once Maksum could be on upset alert in this matchup. With that said, it’s hard to trust in something we’ve yet to see in Johnson, and even though he has a distinct advantage on the feet like he normally does, the chances of him being able to keep the fight there seem to be a bit slim. Ultimately, things seem close on the feet with both fighters not doing much early on until Maksum gets within range to attempt his takedowns and that is when the tides start to turn as Maksum just controls Johnson for the vast majority of the fight en route to a unanimous decision victory.
Final Azat Maksum-Charles Johnson Prediction & Pick: Azat Maksum (-225), Over 2.5 Rounds (-270)
