Brett Johns

Thomas Brett Johns[1] (born 21 February 1992) is a Welsh professional mixed martial artist who currently competes in the bantamweight division of Bellator MMA. Prior to signing with Bellator, Johns competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional competitor since 2012, he has also formerly competed for Cage Warriors and Titan FC, and was Bantamweight Champion for both promotions.[4]

Brett Johns
BornThomas Brett Johns[1]
(1992-02-21) 21 February 1992
Swansea, Wales
Other namesThe Pikey
Height5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)
Weight135.5 lb (61.5 kg; 9.68 st)
DivisionLightweight
Featherweight
Bantamweight
Reach71 in (180 cm)
Fighting out ofSwansea, Wales
TeamChris Rees Academy (2008–2020)[2]
Shore MMA (2020–present)[3]
RankBlack belt in Judo[4]
Brown belt in Muay Thai[4]
Black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Chris Rees[5]
Years active2012–present
Mixed martial arts record
Total22
Wins19
By knockout3
By submission6
By decision10
Losses3
By decision3
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Background

Johns was born and raised by a single mother in Pontarddulais.[6] He has an older sister and two younger brothers.[6] Brett started training judo in a club run by his to-be-stepfather at the age of four.[7] While avidly training judo, he started training Brazilian jiu-jitsu on his stepfather's advice to improve his ground game at the age of 16.[7] While training jiu-jitsu under Chris Rees, Johns eventually grew an interest towards mixed arts.[7]

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Johns made his mixed martial arts debut as an amateur in 2011 where he compiled an undefeated record of 4–0.[8] He turned professional in 2012 and competed on the regional circuit with stints in Cage Warriors Fighting Championship and Titan Fighting Championships where he was the Bantamweight Champion for each promotion.

Johns signed with the UFC in 2016.[9]

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Johns made his promotional debut on 19 November 2016 against Kwan Ho Kwak at UFC Fight Night 99.[10] He won the fight via unanimous decision.[11]

Johns was expected to face Ian Entwistle on 18 March 2017 at UFC Fight Night 107.[12] Entwistle missed weight at the weigh-ins – coming in at 139lbs, 3lbs over the bantamweight limit of 136lbs. He forfeited 20% of his fight purse to his opponent. The following day, Entwistle's medical clearance was revoked following a trip the hospital and the bout was cancelled.[13]

Johns was expected to face Mitch Gagnon on 16 July 2017 at UFC Fight Night 113.[14] However, Gagnon was removed from the card on 27 June and replaced by Albert Morales.[15] Johns won the bout by unanimous decision.[16]

Johns faced Joe Soto on 1 December 2017 at The Ultimate Fighter 26 Finale.[17] Johns won the bout by submission due to a calf slicer (the 2nd Calf Slicer in UFC history).[18] This win earned him Performance of the Night bonus.[19]

Johns faced Aljamain Sterling on 21 April 2018 at UFC Fight Night 128.[20] He lost the fight by unanimous decision.[21]

Johns faced Pedro Munhoz on 4 August 2018 at UFC 227.[22] He lost the fight by unanimous decision.[23]

Johns faced Tony Gravely on 25 January 2020 at UFC Fight Night 166.[24] He won the fight via a rear-naked choke in round three.[25] This win earned him the Fight of the Night award.[26]

Johns faced Montel Jackson on 19 July 2020 at UFC Fight Night 172.[27] He won the fight via unanimous decision.[28]

Bellator MMA

On 2 October 2020, Johns revealed he had signed a multi-fight deal with Bellator MMA after testing free agency when his UFC contract expired.[29] Johns was expected to make his Bellator debut on 21 May 2021 at Bellator 259 against Matheus Mattos.[30][31] However, Mattos pulled out from the bout after contracting COVID-19 and was replaced by former Titan FC bantamweight champion Danny Sabatello.[32] Johns lost the bout via unanimous decision.[33]

Johns was scheduled to face Érik Pérez on 16 October 2021 at Bellator 268.[34] However on 5 October it was announced that Perez was injured and the bout was scrapped.[35]

Johns faced Khurshed Kakhorov on 25 February 2022 at Bellator 275.[36] He won the bout via ground and pound TKO in the third round.[37]

Johns was scheduled to face James Gallagher on 23 September 2022 at Bellator 285.[38] However in August, it was announced that Gallagher pulled out of the bout due to unknown reasons.[39] Jordan Winski was picked as a replacement for Gallagher.[40] Johns won the bout via unanimous decision.[41]

Johns was scheduled to face Marcirley Alves on May 12, 2023, at Bellator 296.[42] However, the week of the event, Johns pulled out due to staph infection.[43]

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

Mixed martial arts record
Professional record breakdown
22 matches 19 wins 3 losses
By knockout 3 0
By submission 6 0
By decision 10 3
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Win 19–3 Jordan Winski Decision (unanimous) Bellator 285 23 September 2022 3 5:00 Dublin, Ireland
Win 18–3 Khurshed Kakhorov TKO (punches) Bellator 275 25 February 2022 3 3:00 Dublin, Ireland
Loss 17–3 Danny Sabatello Decision (unanimous) Bellator 259 21 May 2021 3 5:00 Uncasville, Connecticut, United States
Win 17–2 Montel Jackson Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Figueiredo vs. Benavidez 2 19 July 2020 3 5:00 Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Win 16–2 Tony Gravely Submission (rear-naked choke) UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs. dos Santos 25 January 2020 3 2:53 Raleigh, North Carolina, United States Fight of the Night.
Loss 15–2 Pedro Munhoz Decision (unanimous) UFC 227 4 August 2018 3 5:00 Los Angeles, California, United States
Loss 15–1 Aljamain Sterling Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Barboza vs. Lee 21 April 2018 3 5:00 Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States
Win 15–0 Joe Soto Submission (calf slicer) The Ultimate Fighter: A New World Champion Finale 1 December 2017 1 0:30 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Performance of the Night.
Win 14–0 Albert Morales Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Nelson vs. Ponzinibbio 16 July 2017 3 5:00 Glasgow, Scotland
Win 13–0 Kwan Ho Kwak Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Mousasi vs. Hall 2 19 November 2016 3 5:00 Belfast, Northern Ireland
Win 12–0 Anthony Gutierrez Decision (split) Titan FC 34 18 July 2015 5 5:00 Kansas City, Missouri, United States Johns missed weight (136.8 lb) and was stripped of the Titan FC Bantamweight Championship. Only Gutierrez was eligible to win the title.
Win 11–0 Walel Watson Submission (rear-naked choke) Titan FC 33 20 March 2015 2 3:06 Mobile, Alabama, United States Won the Titan FC Bantamweight Championship.
Win 10–0 James Brum Decision (unanimous) Cage Warriors FC 67 12 April 2014 5 5:00 Swansea, Wales Johns missed weight (137 lb) and was stripped of the CWFC Bantamweight Championship. Only Brum was eligible to win the title.
Win 9–0 Jordan Desborough Decision (split) Cage Warriors FC 59 14 September 2013 5 5:00 Cardiff, Wales Won the vacant CWFC Bantamweight Championship.
Win 8–0 David Haggstrom Decision (unanimous) Cage Warriors FC 59 14 September 2013 3 5:00 Cardiff, Wales CWFC Bantamweight Tournament Semi-final.
Win 7–0 James MacCallister TKO (punches) Cage Warriors FC 54 4 May 2013 2 3:23 Cardiff, Wales Bantamweight debut.
Win 6–0 Joe Orrey Submission (armbar) Pain Pit Fight Night 6 3 February 2013 1 3:59 Newport, Wales Won the PPFN Bantamweight (145 lb) Championship.
Win 5–0 Barrie Monty TKO (punches) Bad Blood Fight Night 2 24 November 2012 1 1:17 Llanelli, Wales
Win 4–0 Sam Gilbert Decision (unanimous) Cage Warriors FC 49 27 October 2012 3 5:00 Cardiff, Wales
Win 3–0 Kyle Prosser Decision (unanimous) Pain Pit Fight Night 4 1 September 2012 3 5:00 Newport, Wales Featherweight debut.
Win 2–0 Arunis Klimavicius Submission (triangle choke) Celtic Battle Fight Night 14 July 2012 1 2:31 Carmarthen, Wales
Win 1–0 Ben Wood Submission (rear-naked choke) Pain Pit Fight Night 3 30 June 2012 1 2:04 Newport, Wales

See also

References
  1. Mixed martial arts show results Date: 1 December 2017
  2. "UFC's Brett Johns opens up on what it takes to be a fighter". powerpunchmma.com. 6 March 2017.
  3. "UFC Fight Island: Shore hopes Brett Johns will repeat son Jack's success". BBC. 18 July 2020.
  4. "Brett Johns – Official UFC Profile". UFC.com. Retrieved 21 July 2017.
  5. "Brett Johns on Instagram: "A dream come true, Absolutely chuffed to receive my BJJ black belt from Chris Rees and Ash Williams @cra_hq_swansea after 11 years with the…"". Instagram. Archived from the original on 25 December 2021. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
  6. Tyler Mears (21 April 2018). "Brett Johns at UFC Fight Night 128 Atlantic City: The little Welsh boy who grew up to become the talk of UFC". Wales Online.
  7. Tom Rooney (18 February 2018). "Stripped of two titles and living in a gym, Brett Johns was done with MMA before getting UFC call". mmajunkie.com.
  8. Roberto Reid (8 April 2014). "Brett Johns Cage Warriors 67 interview: 'He might be training in California, I don't need to travel to these places". mmaplus.co.uk.
  9. Zane Simon (15 November 2016). "Welcome to the UFC: Kwan Ho Kwak". bloodyelbow.com. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  10. Brent Brookhouse (1 November 2016). "UFC signs second Welsh fighter as Brett Johns faces Kwan Ho Kwak at UFC Fight Night 99". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
  11. Ben Fowlkes (19 November 2016). "UFC Fight Night 99 results: Brett Johns scores shutout decision win over Kwan Ho Kwak". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 19 November 2016.
  12. Staff (3 February 2017). "Ian Entwistle vs. Brett Johns joins London's UFC Fight Night 107 lineup". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 3 February 2017.
  13. John Morgan (18 March 2017). "Ian Entwistle ruled out of UFC Fight Night 107, bout with Brett Johns scrapped". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 18 March 2017.
  14. Danny Segura (8 May 2017). "Mitch Gagnon vs. Brett Johns added to UFC Fight Night 113 in Glasgow". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 8 May 2017.
  15. Jim Edwards (27 June 2017). "Brett Johns gets new opponent for UFC Glasgow". champions.co. Archived from the original on 8 December 2017. Retrieved 29 June 2017.
  16. "UFC Fight Night 113 results: Brett Johns sweeps short-notice opponent Albert Morales". MMAjunkie. 16 July 2017. Retrieved 17 July 2017.
  17. Dale Jordan (5 September 2017). "Joe Soto vs. Brett Johns added to the TUF 26 Finale in Las Vegas". mmamad.com. Archived from the original on 9 September 2017. Retrieved 5 September 2017.
  18. "TUF 26 Finale results: Brett Johns needs just 30 seconds to finish Joe Soto via calf slicer". MMAjunkie. 2 December 2017. Retrieved 2 December 2017.
  19. "Bonus Time! Johns, Meerschaert Lead TUF 26 Winners". MMAmania.com. Retrieved 2 December 2017.
  20. Staff (8 February 2018). "Aljamain Sterling vs. Brett Johns set for UFC Fight Night 128 in Atlantic City". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 8 February 2018.
  21. Dave Doyle (21 April 2018). "UFC Atlantic City results: Aljamain Sterling decisions Brett Johns". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 21 April 2018.
  22. "Brett Johns vs. Pedro Munhoz booked for UFC 227 in Los Angeles". MMAjunkie. 1 July 2018. Retrieved 2 July 2018.
  23. "UFC 227 results: Pedro Munhoz batters incredibly durable Brett Johns, settles for decision". MMAjunkie. 5 August 2018. Retrieved 5 August 2018.
  24. Farah Hannoun (20 November 2019). "Brett Johns set to return after long layoff, fight Tony Gravely at UFC Raleigh". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 20 November 2019.
  25. Shillan, Keith (25 January 2020). "UFC Raleigh Results: Brett Johns Earns Third-Round Submission in Grappling-Heavy Affair". Cageside Press. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
  26. Youngs, Jose. "UFC Raleigh bonuses: Brett Johns vs. Tony Gravely earns Fight of the Night". MMAFighting.com. Retrieved 25 January 2020.
  27. Dave Doyle (18 June 2020). "UFC Fight Island: Welsh pair Brett Johns and John Phillips added to series". bbc.com. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
  28. Newswire, MMA Fighting (18 July 2020). "UFC Fight Island 2 Results: Figueiredo vs. Benavidez". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 18 July 2020.
  29. Ariel Helwani (2 October 2020). "Sources: Brett Johns agrees to multifight deal with Bellator". ESPN. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
  30. Nolan King (24 March 2021). "Brett Johns set for Bellator debut, faces Matheus Mattos on May 21". MMA Junkie. Retrieved 25 March 2021.
  31. Williams, Dion. "Brett Johns Set to Face Matheus Mattos in His Bellator Debut on May 21st". overtimeheroics.net. Retrieved 16 April 2021.
  32. "With Matheus Mattos out, Brett Johns faces Titan FC champ Danny Sabatello at Bellator 259". MMA Junkie. 14 May 2021. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
  33. "Bellator 259: Cris Cyborg vs. Leslie Smith 2 live results and highlights". FanSided. 21 May 2021. Retrieved 22 May 2021.
  34. "Brett Johns vs. Erik Perez in the works for Bellator 268". MMA Junkie. 10 August 2021. Retrieved 11 August 2021.
  35. Simpson, Lewis (6 October 2021). "Johns vs. Perez Scrapped From Bellator 268". TarpsOffSports.com. Retrieved 6 October 2021.
  36. "Brett Johns vs. Khurshed Kakhorov joins Bellator 275 lineup in Dublin". MMA Junkie. 4 January 2022. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
  37. "Johns celebrates first Bellator win". BBC Sport. Retrieved 26 February 2022.
  38. Lee, Alexander K. (12 May 2022). "James Gallagher to fight Brett Johns at Bellator Dublin". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
  39. Samano, Simon (11 August 2022). "James Gallagher out of Bellator 285 fight vs. Brett Johns". MMA Junkie. Retrieved 11 August 2022.
  40. "Bellator 285: Brett Johns to face Jordan Winski in Dublin". BBC.
  41. Markey, Ross (23 September 2022). "Brett Johns Rides Out Comfortable Grappling Win Over Jordan Winski - Bellator 285 Highlights". Retrieved 24 September 2022.
  42. "Brett Johns added to Bellator 296 card in Paris | MMA UK". mmauk.net. 1 May 2023. Retrieved 2 May 2023.
  43. "Johns withdraws from Da Silva fight". BBC Sport. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  44. "The Best Submissions Of 2017 Are ..." MMAmania.com. Retrieved 25 December 2017.
  45. DNA, MMA. "MMA DNA UFC Awards 2017 : De Uitslagen!!!". Retrieved 28 January 2019.
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