Charles Johnson gets wish, meets Asu Almabayev in UFC Baku showdown
If you don't ask, how're you going to find out?
Charles Johnson wanted a fight with Asu Almabayev, and he's going to get what he asked for. After his win over Bruno Silva earlier this month in Las Vegas, Johnson (19-8 MMA, 8-6 UFC) used some of his mic time to call out Almabayev (23-3 MMA, 6-1 UFC) for a flyweight fight. The promotion obliged, and the two are set to fight at UFC Fight Night 272, which takes place June 27 at Baku Crystal Hall in Baku, Azerbaijan.
MMA Junkie confirmed the booking with people with knowledge of the fight, who asked to remain anonymous since the UFC has not yet made a formal announcement. The news first was reported by Leo Guimaraes on social media. The 32-year-old Almabayev is working off back-to-back wins over Jose Ochoa and Alex Perez, the latter of which came by third-round submission this past November.
He was set to fight former champion Brandon Moreno in the UFC Mexico headliner a month ago, but an injury forced him out. Now he'll look for a third straight on the heels of his loss 13 months ago to Manel Kape, but against Johnson. This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Charles Johnson gets wish, meets Asu Almabayev in UFC Baku showdown