UFC 335 officially has its first matchup set. Former flyweight champion Brandon Moreno is set to return to the Octagon against Charles Johnson, the veteran who famously knocked out current 125-lbs champion Joshua Van.

Six days ago, MMA Fighting reported that the UFC was looking to book Moreno vs. Johnson for its final numbered event of the year, scheduled for December 12 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Now, a new update has confirmed that both flyweights will indeed clash on the UFC 335 card.

“Brandon Moreno vs. Charles Johnson set for UFC 335 on December 12th,” Home of Fight shared on X.

The matchup comes at an important time for both fighters, although for very different reasons.

For Moreno, 2026 has been a difficult year by his standards. The former flyweight champion suffered an upset loss to rising flyweight Lone’er Kavanagh at UFC Mexico City in February. The defeat was even more notable because Kavanagh had stepped in on short notice after replacing Moreno’s original opponent, Asu Almabayev.

Following that setback, Moreno needed a win to get himself back on track, and he eventually got one against Joseph Morales at UFC Noche on September 12. However, it was far from a dominant performance, with “The Assassin Baby” earning a split decision in a closely contested fight.

Charles Johnson, meanwhile, has been considerably more active.

The UFC veteran has already fought four times in 2026, twice as many bouts as Moreno.

Johnson has won two of those four fights, but he enters UFC 335 off a notable victory over Eduardo Chapolin at UFC 330, where he secured a rare Scottish twister submission.

While Johnson has built a reputation for highlight-reel finishes, one of his most memorable moments came in 2024 when he knocked out Joshua Van.

At the time, Van was still climbing the flyweight rankings when Johnson stopped him. Van has since gone on to become the division’s champion and most recently defended his title at UFC 331 against former champion Alexandre Pantoja.

Now, Moreno and Johnson will meet with an opportunity to move closer to the top of the division.

A victory for either fighter would not necessarily guarantee a title shot, but it could put the winner in position for a higher-ranked matchup and another step toward championship contention.

With the first fight of UFC 335 now official, however, the UFC is still keeping the main event under wraps.

Sean Strickland vs. Nassourdine Imavov could headline UFC 335

While the UFC has yet to announce the headliner, the middleweight division already has a potential matchup that could fit the December card.

Sean Strickland reclaimed the middleweight title from Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 328 in May, and a possible rematch with Nassourdine Imavov has been discussed since then.

Strickland recently confirmed that Imavov is the opponent he wants for his first title defense while answering questions from fans online. If the UFC makes the matchup official, December would provide a natural spot for the fight, with Ciryl Gane vs. Josh Hokit already scheduled to headline UFC 334 in November.

The potential matchup has also caught the attention of former BMF champion Jorge Masvidal, who likes what the two styles could produce.

“I’m excited about that fight, great fight,” Masvidal told MMA Junkie. “I like Imavov. He’s a sniper. He’s real, real technical. You can tell with the way he’s fighting, he’s always thinking a couple steps ahead. He’s like, ‘If the guy does this, I’m going to do that,’ and Sean’s just all energy, just coming forward with that pressure.

“I think this is going to be an amazing fight. Also, Imavov has been out for a while. Imavov has a good style also to deal with the Strickland pressure. I’m going to go with Strickland, though. I think it’s going to be a tough fight for Sean. The speed, his athleticism, the timing, his distance management.”

For now, Moreno vs. Johnson is the only officially announced matchup for UFC 335. With the final numbered event of 2026 still more than two months away, the promotion has time to fill out the card—and potentially add a middleweight title fight to close out the year.