Brett Johns Explained

Brett Johns
Other Names:The Pikey
Birth Date:1992 2, df=y
Birth Place:Swansea, Wales
Height:5 ft 7 in
Weight:145 lb
Reach In:71
Fighting Out Of:Swansea, Wales
Team:Chris Rees Academy (2008–2020)[1]
Shore MMA (2020–present)[2]
Rank:Black belt in Judo[3]
Brown belt in Muay Thai
Black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu [4]
Years Active:2012–present
Mma Kowin:4
Mma Subwin:6
Mma Decwin:10
Mma Decloss:5
Sherdog:92891

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

Background

Johns was born and raised by a single mother in Pontarddulais.[5] He has an older sister and two younger brothers. Brett started training judo in a club run by his to-be-stepfather at the age of four.[6] 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. While training jiu-jitsu under Chris Rees, Johns eventually grew an interest towards mixed arts.

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.[7] 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.[8]

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Johns made his promotional debut on 19 November 2016 against Kwan Ho Kwak at UFC Fight Night 99.[9] He won the fight via unanimous decision.[10]

Johns was expected to face Ian Entwistle on 18 March 2017 at UFC Fight Night 107.[11] 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 The following day, Entwistle's medical clearance was revoked following a trip the hospital and the bout was cancelled.[12]

Johns was expected to face Mitch Gagnon on 16 July 2017 at UFC Fight Night 113.[13] However, Gagnon was removed from the card on 27 June and replaced by Albert Morales.[14] Johns won the bout by unanimous decision.[15]

Johns faced Joe Soto on 1 December 2017 at The Ultimate Fighter 26 Finale.[16] Johns won the bout by submission due to a calf slicer (the 2nd Calf Slicer in UFC history).[17] This win earned him Performance of the Night bonus.[18]

Johns faced Aljamain Sterling on 21 April 2018 at UFC Fight Night 128.[19] He lost the fight by unanimous decision.[20]

Johns faced Pedro Munhoz on 4 August 2018 at UFC 227.[21] He lost the fight by unanimous decision.[22]

Johns faced Tony Gravely on 25 January 2020 at UFC Fight Night 166.[23] He won the fight via a rear-naked choke in round three.[24] This win earned him the Fight of the Night award.[25]

Johns faced Montel Jackson on 19 July 2020 at UFC Fight Night 172.[26] He won the fight via unanimous decision.[27]

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.[28] Johns was expected to make his Bellator debut on 21 May 2021 at Bellator 259 against Matheus Mattos.[29] [30] However, Mattos pulled out from the bout after contracting COVID-19 and was replaced by former Titan FC bantamweight champion Danny Sabatello.[31] Johns lost the bout via unanimous decision.[32]

Johns was scheduled to face Érik Pérez on 16 October 2021 at Bellator 268.[33] However on 5 October it was announced that Perez was injured and the bout was scrapped.[34]

Johns faced Khurshed Kakhorov on 25 February 2022 at Bellator 275.[35] He won the bout via ground and pound TKO in the third round.[36]

Johns was scheduled to face James Gallagher on 23 September 2022 at Bellator 285.[37] However in August, it was announced that Gallagher pulled out of the bout due to unknown reasons.[38] Jordan Winski was picked as a replacement for Gallagher.[39] Johns won the bout via unanimous decision.[40]

Johns was scheduled to face Marcirley Alves on 12 May 2023 at Bellator 296.[41] However, the week of the event, Johns pulled out due to staph infection.[42]

Professional Fighters League

After completing his contract, Johns signed with the PFL and made his debut against David Tonatiuh Crol on 8 December 2023 at PFL Europe 4.[43] He won the fight by TKO in the third round.[44]

Johns faced Timur Khizriev on April 19, 2024 at PFL 3 (2024).[45] He lost the bout via unanimous decision.[46]

Johns was scheduled to face Ádám Borics on June 28, 2024 at PFL 6, but Borics pulled out and was replaced by Tyler Diamond.[47] He lost the fight via unanimous decision.[48]

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

Mixed martial arts record

|-|Loss|align=center|20–5|Tyler Diamond|Decision (unanimous)|PFL 6 (2024)||align=center|3|align=center|5:00|Sioux Falls, South Dakota, United States||-|Loss|align=center|20–4|Timur Khizriev|Decision (unanimous)|PFL 3 (2024)||align=center|3|align=center|5:00|Chicago, Illinois, United States||-|Win|align=center|20–3|David Tonatiuh Crol|TKO (punches)|PFL Europe 4 (2023)||align=center|3|align=center|3:09|Dublin, Ireland||-|Win|align=center|19–3|Jordan Winski|Decision (unanimous)|Bellator 285||align=center|3|align=center|5:00|Dublin, Ireland||-|Win|align=center|18–3|Khurshed Kakhorov|TKO (punches)|Bellator 275||align=center|3|align=center|3:00|Dublin, Ireland||-|Loss|align=center|17–3|Danny Sabatello|Decision (unanimous)|Bellator 259 ||align=center|3|align=center|5:00|Uncasville, Connecticut, United States||-|Win|align=center|17–2|Montel Jackson|Decision (unanimous)| ||align=center|3|align=center|5:00|Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates||-|Win|align=center|16–2|Tony Gravely|Submission (rear-naked choke)| ||align=center|3|align=center|2:53|Raleigh, North Carolina, United States||-|Loss|align=center|15–2|Pedro Munhoz|Decision (unanimous)|UFC 227 ||align=center|3|align=center|5:00|Los Angeles, California, United States||- |Loss|align=center|15–1|Aljamain Sterling|Decision (unanimous)|||align=center|3|align=center|5:00|Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States||-|Win|align=center|15–0|Joe Soto|Submission (calf slicer)|The Ultimate Fighter: A New World Champion Finale ||align=center|1|align=center|0:30|Las Vegas, Nevada, United States||-|Win|align=center|14–0|Albert Morales|Decision (unanimous)| ||align=center|3|align=center|5:00|Glasgow, Scotland||-|Win|align=center|13–0|Kwak Kwan-ho|Decision (unanimous)|||align=center| 3|align=center| 5:00|Belfast, Northern Ireland||-|Win|align=center|12–0|Anthony Gutierrez|Decision (split)|Titan FC 34 ||align=center| 5|align=center| 5:00|Kansas City, Missouri, United States||-|Win|align=center|11–0|Walel Watson|Submission (rear-naked choke)|Titan FC 33||align=center| 2|align=center| 3:06|Mobile, Alabama, United States||-|Win|align=center|10–0|James Brum|Decision (unanimous)|Cage Warriors FC 67 ||align=center|5|align=center|5:00|Swansea, Wales||-|Win|align=center|9–0|Jordan Desborough|Decision (split)|rowspan=2|Cage Warriors 59 |rowspan=2||align=center|5|align=center|5:00|rowspan=2|Cardiff, Wales||-|Win|align=center|8–0|David Haggstrom|Decision (unanimous)|align=center|3|align=center|5:00||-|Win|align=center|7–0|James MacCallister|TKO (punches)|Cage Warriors 54 ||align=center|2|align=center|3:23|Cardiff, Wales||-|Win|align=center|6–0|Joe Orrey |Submission (armbar)|Pain Pit Fight Night 6||align=center|1|align=center|3:59|Newport, Wales||-|Win|align=center|5–0|Barrie Monty|TKO (punches)|Bad Blood Fight Night 2||align=center|1|align=center|1:17|Llanelli, Wales||-|Win|align=center|4–0|Sam Gilbert |Decision (unanimous)|Cage Warriors 49 ||align=center|3|align=center|5:00|Cardiff, Wales||-|Win|align=center|3–0|Kyle Prosser|Decision (unanimous)|Pain Pit Fight Night 4||align=center|3|align=center|5:00|Newport, Wales||-|Win|align=center|2–0|Arunis Klimavicius|Submission (triangle choke)|Celtic Battle Fight Night||align=center|1|align=center|2:31|Carmarthen, Wales||-|Win|align=center|1–0|Ben Wood |Submission (rear-naked choke)|Pain Pit Fight Night 3||align=center|1|align=center|2:04|Newport, Wales|

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: UFC's Brett Johns opens up on what it takes to be a fighter. 6 March 2017. powerpunchmma.com.
  2. Web site: UFC Fight Island: Shore hopes Brett Johns will repeat son Jack's success. 18 July 2020. BBC.
  3. Web site: Brett Johns – Official UFC Profile. UFC.com. 21 July 2017.
  4. Web site: 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…". https://ghostarchive.org/iarchive/instagram/brettjohnsmma/2199590433844531415_2199590429633512627 . 25 December 2021 . registration. Instagram. 17 December 2019.
  5. Web site: Brett Johns at UFC Fight Night 128 Atlantic City: The little Welsh boy who grew up to become the talk of UFC. 21 April 2018. Tyler Mears. Wales Online.
  6. Web site: Stripped of two titles and living in a gym, Brett Johns was done with MMA before getting UFC call. Tom Rooney. mmajunkie.com. 18 February 2018.
  7. Web site: Brett Johns Cage Warriors 67 interview: 'He might be training in California, I don't need to travel to these places. Roberto Reid. 8 April 2014. mmaplus.co.uk.
  8. News: Welcome to the UFC: Kwan Ho Kwak. bloodyelbow.com. Zane Simon. 15 November 2016. 15 November 2016.
  9. News: UFC signs second Welsh fighter as Brett Johns faces Kwan Ho Kwak at UFC Fight Night 99. mmajunkie.com. Brent Brookhouse. 1 November 2016. 1 November 2016.
  10. News: UFC Fight Night 99 results: Brett Johns scores shutout decision win over Kwan Ho Kwak. mmajunkie.com. Ben Fowlkes. 19 November 2016. 19 November 2016.
  11. Web site: Ian Entwistle vs. Brett Johns joins London's UFC Fight Night 107 lineup. mmajunkie.com. Staff. 3 February 2017. 3 February 2017.
  12. Web site: Ian Entwistle ruled out of UFC Fight Night 107, bout with Brett Johns scrapped. mmajunkie.com. John Morgan. 18 March 2017. 18 March 2017.
  13. Web site: Mitch Gagnon vs. Brett Johns added to UFC Fight Night 113 in Glasgow. mmafighting.com . Danny Segura. 8 May 2017. 8 May 2017.
  14. News: Brett Johns gets new opponent for UFC Glasgow. champions.co. Jim Edwards. 27 June 2017. 29 June 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20171208174929/https://champions.co/p/brett-johns-gets-new-opponent-for-ufc-glasgow/4306470. 8 December 2017. dead.
  15. News: UFC Fight Night 113 results: Brett Johns sweeps short-notice opponent Albert Morales. 16 July 2017. MMAjunkie. 17 July 2017.
  16. Web site: Joe Soto vs. Brett Johns added to the TUF 26 Finale in Las Vegas. mmamad.com. Dale Jordan. 5 September 2017. 5 September 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170909120811/http://www.mmamad.com/2017/09/05/joe-soto-vs-brett-johns-added-to-the-tuf-26-finale-in-las-vegas/. 9 September 2017. dead.
  17. News: TUF 26 Finale results: Brett Johns needs just 30 seconds to finish Joe Soto via calf slicer. 2 December 2017. MMAjunkie. 2 December 2017.
  18. News: Bonus Time! Johns, Meerschaert Lead TUF 26 Winners. MMAmania.com. 2 December 2017.
  19. News: Aljamain Sterling vs. Brett Johns set for UFC Fight Night 128 in Atlantic City. mmajunkie.com. Staff. 8 February 2018. 8 February 2018.
  20. Web site: UFC Atlantic City results: Aljamain Sterling decisions Brett Johns. mmafighting.com. Dave Doyle. 21 April 2018. 21 April 2018.
  21. News: Brett Johns vs. Pedro Munhoz booked for UFC 227 in Los Angeles. 1 July 2018. MMAjunkie. 2 July 2018.
  22. News: UFC 227 results: Pedro Munhoz batters incredibly durable Brett Johns, settles for decision. 5 August 2018. MMAjunkie. 5 August 2018.
  23. Web site: Brett Johns set to return after long layoff, fight Tony Gravely at UFC Raleigh. Farah Hannoun. mmajunkie.com. 20 November 2019. 20 November 2019.
  24. Web site: UFC Raleigh Results: Brett Johns Earns Third-Round Submission in Grappling-Heavy Affair. Shillan. Keith. 25 January 2020. Cageside Press. 26 January 2020.
  25. Web site: Youngs . Jose . UFC Raleigh bonuses: Brett Johns vs. Tony Gravely earns Fight of the Night . 25 January 2020 . . 25 January 2020.
  26. Web site: UFC Fight Island: Welsh pair Brett Johns and John Phillips added to series. bbc.com. Dave Doyle. 2020-06-18. 2020-06-18.
  27. Web site: Newswire. MMA Fighting. 2020-07-18. UFC Fight Island 2 Results: Figueiredo vs. Benavidez. 2020-07-18. MMA Fighting. en.
  28. Web site: Sources: Brett Johns agrees to multifight deal with Bellator. Ariel Helwani. 2 October 2020. ESPN. 2 October 2020.
  29. Web site: Brett Johns set for Bellator debut, faces Matheus Mattos on May 21. MMA Junkie. Nolan King. March 24, 2021. March 25, 2021.
  30. Web site: Williams. Dion. Brett Johns Set to Face Matheus Mattos in His Bellator Debut on May 21st. 16 April 2021. overtimeheroics.net. 25 March 2021 .
  31. Web site: 2021-05-14. With Matheus Mattos out, Brett Johns faces Titan FC champ Danny Sabatello at Bellator 259. 2021-05-15. MMA Junkie. en-US.
  32. Web site: 2021-05-21. Bellator 259: Cris Cyborg vs. Leslie Smith 2 live results and highlights. 2021-05-22. FanSided. en-US.
  33. Web site: 2021-08-10. Brett Johns vs. Erik Perez in the works for Bellator 268. 2021-08-11. MMA Junkie. en-US.
  34. Web site: Simpson. Lewis. 2021-10-06. Johns vs. Perez Scrapped From Bellator 268. 2021-10-06. TarpsOffSports.com. en-CA. 6 October 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211006203103/https://tarpsoffsports.com/brett-johns-vs-erik-perez/. dead.
  35. Web site: 2022-01-04. Brett Johns vs. Khurshed Kakhorov joins Bellator 275 lineup in Dublin. 2022-01-05. MMA Junkie. en-US.
  36. News: Johns celebrates first Bellator win. en-GB. BBC Sport. 2022-02-26.
  37. Web site: Lee . Alexander K. . 2022-05-12 . James Gallagher to fight Brett Johns at Bellator Dublin . 2022-05-12 . MMA Fighting . en.
  38. Web site: Samano . Simon . 2022-08-11 . James Gallagher out of Bellator 285 fight vs. Brett Johns . 2022-08-11 . MMA Junkie . en-US.
  39. News: Bellator 285: Brett Johns to face Jordan Winski in Dublin . BBC Sport . 22 August 2022 .
  40. Web site: Markey . Ross . 2022-09-23 . Brett Johns Rides Out Comfortable Grappling Win Over Jordan Winski - Bellator 285 Highlights . 2022-09-24 . en-US.
  41. Web site: 2023-05-01 . Brett Johns added to Bellator 296 card in Paris MMA UK . 2023-05-02 . mmauk.net . en-GB.
  42. News: Johns withdraws from Da Silva fight . en-GB . BBC Sport . 2023-05-11.
  43. Web site: 2023-10-27 . Welshman Johns added to PFL Dublin card . 2023-10-27 . BBC Sport . en-GB.
  44. Web site: 2023-12-08 . 2023 PFL Europe 4 video: UFC vet Brett Johns gets TKO from bottom position . 2024-01-03 . MMA Junkie . en-US.
  45. Web site: Cruz . Guilherme . 2024-03-11 . PFL announces full line-ups for first 3 season events, 8 ex-Bellator champions debut . 2024-04-20 . MMA Fighting . en.
  46. Web site: Meshew . Jed . 2024-04-20 . PFL 3 Results: Magomed Umalatov remains unbeaten, Brendan Loughnane gets back on track with quick win . 2024-04-20 . MMA Fighting . en.
  47. Web site: Sherdog.com . PFL 6 Update: Logan Storley Gets New Opponent in Sioux Falls Co-Main Event . 2024-08-05 . Sherdog . en.
  48. Web site: Tyler Diamond takes decision in grappling chess match . 2024-08-05 . pflmma.com.
  49. News: The Best Submissions Of 2017 Are .... MMAmania.com. 25 December 2017.
  50. Web site: MMA DNA UFC Awards 2017 : De Uitslagen!!!. DNA. MMA. 18 January 2018 . 28 January 2019.

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