Ex-UFC Champion Returns for Reported First Fight on Year-Ending UFC 335 Card
A massive flyweight bout featuring one of the division's former champions is reportedly in the works for UFC 335.
Scheduled as the final event on the UFC's 2026 calendar, UFC 335 will take place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV on December 12.
The UFC recently confirmed two huge title bouts for November's UFC 334 card at Madison Square Garden, and as of yet the promotion hasn't formerly announced any fights for what will presumably also be a stacked card in Las Vegas the following month.
Brandon Moreno to Face Charles Johnson at UFC 335
It may not be a title bout, but MMA Fighting did report this week that the UFC is putting together a huge flyweight fight between Brandon Moreno and Charles Johnson for UFC 335.
A two-time UFC flyweight champion, Moreno first won the promotion's 125 lbs. belt in 2021 when he submitted Deiveson Figueiredo in the second of what eventually turned into a four-fight series between the two flyweight legends.
"The Assassin Baby" ultimately came out on top in the rivalry when he defeated Figueiredo at UFC 283 and claimed flyweight gold for the second time, but unfortunately he relinquished the title to Alexandre Pantoja later that year at UFC 290.
A follow-up loss to Brandon Royval left Moreno on a two-fight skid before he rebounded with back-to-back wins over Amir Albazi and Steve Erceg, but the 32-year-old's hopes of securing a chance to reclaim the flyweight belt were halted at UFC 323 when he was stopped by Tatsuro Taira.
The Mexican star also suffered an upset-loss to Lone'er Kavanagh to kick off 2026, but Moreno returned to the win column earlier this month when he took a split decision over Joseph Morales at this year's edition of Noche UFC.
Charles Johnson Knocked Out UFC Champion Joshua Van in 2024
Another win over a top-ranked contender would move Moreno closer to a title shot after Joshua Van just defended the flyweight belt for a second time against Pantoja at UFC 331, and Johnson currently sits at #14 in the media rankings for the UFC flyweight division.
"InnerG" joined the UFC in 2022 following a successful flyweight title reign with the LFA, and after a lackluster 2-4 start to his UFC career the 35-year-old defeated Azat Maksum in 2024 to kick off what became a four-fight win streak.
That winning run included a third-round knockout over the aforementioned Van that stands as the flyweight champion's lone UFC loss, but since Ramazan Temirov ended that winning run Johnson has alternated wins and losses over his last six outings.
The former LFA champion did secure a "Performance of the Night" bonus when he defeated Eduardo Chapolin with a Scottish Twister his last time out at UFC 330, and the matchup with Moreno is a strong start to what should be a huge UFC 335 card in December.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/fannation/mma as Ex-UFC Champion Returns for Reported First Fight on Year-Ending UFC 335 Card.