Perez’s Repeated Left Hands Broke Johnson’s Resistance
Alex Perez stopped Charles Johnson at 3:16 of the first round on January 24, 2026, at UFC 324 in Las Vegas. The flyweight preliminary contest at T-Mobile Arena ended after Perez repeatedly hurt Johnson with left hands and maintained pressure through his recovery attempts.
A weight miss preceded a meaningful divisional matchup
Perez registered 128.5 pounds, above the non-title flyweight limit, while Johnson made 126. The bout continued with Perez forfeiting twenty-five percent of his purse under the official UFC announcement.
Perez entered after defeats to Tatsuro Taira and Asu Almabayev. Johnson had recently beaten Lone’er Kavanagh, giving both men an opportunity to improve their position in the division.
Early combinations led into repeated knockdowns
Perez found sharp left hands in the opening exchanges before a heavier connection dropped Johnson. He immediately pursued the finish as his opponent tried to move and buy recovery time.
Johnson continued resisting and briefly returned offense to the body. Perez nevertheless cut off the cage and landed another clean left, preventing that response from becoming a sustained change in momentum.
A final hook completed the first-round technical knockout
The continued attack brought the referee’s intervention after another left hook. The official result ended the contest with three minutes and sixteen seconds elapsed in the opening round.
Perez returned to the win column through a forceful striking performance. Johnson’s ability to survive the first damaging connection prolonged the exchanges, but the repeated left hands and uninterrupted pursuit eventually removed his chance to reset.
Sources
- UFC: official scorecards and stoppages
- UFC: January 24 Las Vegas event and weights
- Cageside Press: preceding fights and repeated left hands
