VANCOUVER, British Columbia – Miles Johns beat Cole Smith with a split decision Saturday on the preliminary card at UFC on ESPN+ 16 at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Take a look inside the fight with Johns, a former LFA bantamweight champion who won his UFC debut.
Result: Miles Johns def. Cole Smith via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Updated records: Johns (10-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC), Smith (7-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC)
Key stat: Johns had a big 63-26 striking advantage over Smith in the fight.
Johns on the fight’s key moment
“Dana White’s Contender Series prepared me for this. When I walked in, I could hear the boos for me and the cheers for him, so there was a little bit of pressure and I wasn’t really used to that. But the Contender Series definitely prepared me more for that, so I felt ready for anything.”
Johns on fighting in front of Smith’s fans
“It feels amazing to get my first win. I came here into enemy territory against a very good, very tough undefeated opponent. It wasn’t exactly the fight that I wanted, but it was a learning experience. I got the win and am undefeated in the UFC, so that feels great.”
Johns on what he wants next
“There are a lot of tough guys in the (bantamweight) division. I’m just going to go back to the drawing board. That fight definitely was an eye-opener to some things I want to work on.”
To hear more from Johns, check out the video of the full post-fight interview above.
