Lone'er Kavanagh🇨🇳 (9-0) is a striker with a hybrid Kickboxing style highlighted by his fast footwork that he uses to create angles where he moves in and out and lands accurate counters or makes it easier to set up his powerful combinations that include jabs, crosses, left hooks, spinning heel kicks, body kicks, and leg kicks. He is technically sound offensively but hasn't perfected his game yet. There are multiple problems I have, I don't like that he lowers his hands when throws big shots because against a guy like Charles Johnson he could be caught and maybe finished, I also think because of his selective volume he involuntarily fights to the level of his competition which I'm almost positive will make this fight close. Lone'er can mix in the grappling but it's unconventional, his pure wrestling isn't great so he acquires takedowns against the cage, from there he can either take the back which he does well or he secures top position and reigns down ground & pound elbows. Defensively, I like his takedown defense. It's basic stuff, but he consistently has a good sprawl. Charles Johnson🇺🇸 (17-7) presses forward on the feet constantly switching stances to make himself less hittable and open up angles where he can use his jab to control distance well and set up his high volume combinations that include accurate and powerful uppercuts, elbows, knees, front kicks, body kicks, and low kicks. I also like that he uses hand fighting to disrupt momentum or posture and can successfully roll with punches to land counters or just keep himself safe. I do have to mention that Charles's high volume isn't a every fight thing. He is inconsistent in that department, sometimes starting slow and costing him fights. He has a background in wrestling, but it really doesn't help him offensively, which is surprising but does give him a base for takedown defense, which still isn't even incredible. When he does wind up on top, he normally isn't there for long but has good ground & pound. Defensively, he can be taken down but is great at attacking submissions, initiating scrambles, and getting back to his feet quickly. Super conflicted about this, I worry if the fight is too much to soon for Lone'er, Charles is more experienced and just last year finished the #1 contender in Van, partially but not fully due to his size advantage which he also has here (5 inch height/3 inch reach). I also have a fear Lone'er has a tendency to fight to the level of his competition, which is why he doesn't have a dominant win in the UFC yet. I feel Kavanagh is the better fighter, but CJ has the characteristics that actively counteract him. My pick is Kavanagh (DEC).