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Round 1 – Johnson rushes across with strikes as soon as the referee signaled for the fight to begin. Durden looked to clinch to slow things, and Johnson dropped for an ankle lock. Johnson bailed on it and tried to get back to his feet, but Durden stuck with him, looking to wrestle. Durden hops on Johnson’s back and begins looking for the standing rear-naked choke. The body triangle is in for Durden as well. Johnson stays calm and fights the hands. Durden lets go of the body triangle, and looks to drag Johnson to the ground. Johnson does well to prevent being taken all the way to the mat, but settles for a moment with one knee on the ground. Durden looks to hop on the back again, and this time Johnson is able to explode out of the position. They’re back in space, and Johnson fires off kicks. Durden pressures forward and lands a nice punch. Johnson responds with a solid left. Durden goes to an inside leg kick. A moment later, he gets a hold of Johnson’s leg and hunts for the takedown. Durden dumps him to the mat, but gets locked in a reverse triangle. The horn sounds seconds later. MMA Junkie scores the round 10-9 for Durden.
Round 2 – After an initial striking exchange, Durden gets in on a takedown attempt, finding Johnson’s back. Durden does his best to maintain the position while Johnson tries to scramble out of the bad position. Johnson eventually gets to his feet, but Durden is still on his back. Back down to one knee, Durden adds a couple of knees to the thigh before taking the back again. Now they’re completely on the mat, with Durden looking for the choke. Johnson is able to get his feet on the fence and push off, resulting in the fight returning to the center. They exchange punches, but it’s apparent fatigue is setting in. Johson shakes off a clinch attempt, and lands a nice body kick. Johnson fires off punches until the horn. MMA Junkie scores the round 10-9 for Durden.
Round 3 – Johnson comes forward with strikes. Punches and kicks to the body find the target, and Durden looks for the takedown. Johnson shakes him off and keeps working behind his jabs. Durden starts to land his share of punches too. He looks for the clinch again, but Johnson shakes it off. Durden lands a nice right hand, and points at Johnson. Durden is back in on the single leg, but Johnson defends it well. They return to the center for a moment, and Durden shoots in for another takedown attempt. This time he’s able to scramble to Johnson’s back as he stands up, locking in the body triangle again. With a minute to work, Johnson tries shaking Durden off, but is unsuccessful. Durden adjusts and maintains the position until the fight ends. MMA Junkie scores the round 10-9 for Durden, giving him the fight 30-27.
Result: Cody Durden def. Charles Johnson via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Photos: UFC Fight Night 223: Best photos from Las Vegas
Records: Cody Durden (15-4-1 MMA, 4-2-1 UFC), Charles Johnson (13-5 MMA, 2-3 UFC)
Division: Flyweight
Broadcast: ESPN2/ESPN+
Referee: Chris Tognoni
Judging: