Charles Johnson's Secret Weapon: A Scottish Twister From Patchy Mix

Charles Johnson has picked up a new party trick, and it's got a name most casual fans have never heard: the Scottish Twister. The UFC flyweight, currently ranked #14 with a 20-9 record, says he taps training partners with the move once or twice a week — and he learned it from former Bellator bantamweight champ Patchy Mix.

For anyone unfamiliar, the twister is a spine-and-neck cranking submission that rarely surfaces in high-level MMA. Johnson claims it's become a staple of his rolling sessions, which is a bold thing to say about a technique most gyms treat as a novelty. He credited Mix directly, saying the ex-Bellator king walked him through the mechanics.

Why Mix Is a Credible Source

If you're going to learn a submission from somebody, Mix isn't a bad pick. He owns a 19-4 professional record and has finished 13 of those wins by submission — a grappling resume that speaks for itself. That's the profile of a genuine specialist, not a guy dabbling in flashy finishes.

Both men are coming off setbacks, though, which adds a little context to all the gym talk. Johnson was submitted by Asu Almabayev in the third round of his last outing, and Mix dropped a split decision to Jakub Wiklacz in his most recent appearance. A viral submission clip is a nice way to reset the narrative when the results column hasn't been kind.

Can It Translate to the Cage?

Here's the honest part: landing a twister on cooperative training partners twice a week is a very different thing from hitting one under the lights against a top-15 flyweight. Johnson said it's just about getting to the position, which is the entire challenge with a technique this specific. The setup requires a leg-lace entry and control that opponents at this level are trained to deny.

Still, Johnson has four career submissions on his ledger, so the finishing instinct is real. Whether the Scottish Twister ever shows up on a UFC scorecard is another matter — but if it does, at least we'll know exactly who to thank.