Miles Johns vs. Gianni Vazquez
UFC Fight Night · August 8, 2026 · Meta Apex · Prelims 5:00 PM ET
The brief
- What kind of fight
- Veteran Boxer vs. Short-Notice Comeback Story
- Finish likelihood
- Medium
- The line
- Johns -160 · Vazquez +130Consensus
- The stakes
- Featherweight · Prelims
The read
Johns's compact counter-boxing and takedown defense give him a real path to control the distance and pick his spots against a fighter working with almost no camp.
But Vazquez has shown he can find a finish when the door opens, and Johns's own defensive lapses against Marcos and Matsumoto are a live variable.
Expect Johns to box on the outside and try to keep this standing, with Vazquez needing to close distance, mix in his grappling, and stay opportunistic for a finish if the standup doesn't go his way.
The matchup
Jessie Rosas, the older brother of UFC prospect Raul Rosas Jr., withdrew from his scheduled UFC debut less than 48 hours out after a doctor scratched him over a cut on his forehead.
Gianni Vazquez steps in on short notice for his second UFC opportunity in six months, this time up a weight class from the bantamweight fight where he missed weight and was released. Johns brings the far more proven UFC resume and a patient, low-risk boxing style built to frustrate an opponent working with a compressed camp, but he has been finished in two of his last three fights, and Vazquez has closed the show with back-to-back knockouts since his UFC exit.
The move up to featherweight should ease the weight-cut issues that undid Vazquez the first time around.
Tale of the tape
| 15-5 | Record | 14-5-1 |
| 32 | Age | 32 |
| 5'7" | Height | 5'7" |
| 68" | Reach | 71" |
| Orthodox | Stance | Orthodox |
| United States | Country | Mexico |
| Marathon MMA | Team | — |
The numbers
Career UFC averages. Red bar = statistical edge.
The fighters
Miles Johns 15-5
“Chapo”
Miles Johns is a former LFA bantamweight champion from Newton, Kansas, who has been on the UFC roster since 2019. A compact, patient boxer with sneaky counter power, he built his record on tight defense and hard single shots rather than volume. He also has one no contest on his ledger not reflected in the 15-5 record. Now fighting out of Marathon MMA, he enters on a three-fight skid, including a split-decision loss to Jean Matsumoto and a submission loss to Daniel Marcos, making this a must-win against a short-notice opponent.
- LDaniel Marcos · Submission (rear-naked choke)UFC Fight Night: Bonfim vs. Brown · November 8, 2025
- LJean Matsumoto · Decision (split)UFC Fight Night: Dolidze vs. Hernandez · August 9, 2025
- LFelipe Lima · Decision (unanimous)UFC Fight Night: Covington vs. Buckley · December 14, 2024
Gianni Vazquez 14-5-1
“Kriptonita”
Gianni Vazquez is a well-traveled Mexican regional veteran who has fought all over Mexico, Texas and California since turning pro in 2014. He got his first UFC opportunity in February 2026, taking a bantamweight fight against Javid Basharat on just two days' notice; he missed weight after a brutal short-notice cut, lost a decision, and was released afterward. Rather than fade, he rebounded in May 2026 with a second-round knockout of Kamron Ortikov at Combate Global, earning himself a second UFC chance here on short notice again, this time up at featherweight opposite Miles Johns.
- WKamron Ortikov · KO/TKOCombate Global: Mexico vs. USA Part II · May 9, 2026
- LJavid Basharat · Decision (unanimous)UFC Fight Night: Bautista vs. Oliveira · February 7, 2026
- WNarek Avagyan · KO/TKOUNF 28 · October 11, 2025