Brett Johns (born 21 February 1992) is a Welsh professional

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting sport based on striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-stylistic contests took place t ...

who currently competes in the

featherweight Featherweight is a weight class in the combat sports of boxing, kickboxing, mixed martial arts, and Greco-Roman wrestling. Boxing Professional boxing History A featherweight boxer weighs in at a limit of . In the early days of the division, ...

division of

PFL PFL may refer to: Sport * Professional Fighters League, an American mixed martial arts league * Peel Football League, an Australian rules football league * Pioneer Football League, an NCAA Division I FCS football conference * Professional Futsa ...

. Prior to signing with PFL, Johns competed for the

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promoter (entertainment), promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor ( ...

(UFC) and

Bellator MMA Bellator MMA (formerly Bellator Fighting Championships) was an American mixed martial arts promotion (entertainment), promotion founded in 2008 by Bjorn Rebney and operated until 2025. The promotion takes its name from ''wikt:bellator, bellātor ...

bantamweight Bantamweight is a weight class in combat sports and weightlifting. For boxing, the range is above and up to . In kickboxing, a bantamweight fighter generally weighs between . In mixed martial arts, MMA, bantamweight is . The name for the class ...

. A professional competitor since 2012, he has also formerly competed for

Cage Warriors Cage Warriors (CW) is an Irish-owned mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in London, England. The promotion was established in 2001 and staged its first MMA event in London in July, 2002. Many MMA stars have made their names under ...

and

Titan FC Titan Fighting Championship (Titan FC) is an American mixed martial arts promotion based out of Pompano Beach, Florida. Their shows were originally run in and near Kansas City and have since expanded to include venues all over North America and e ...

, and was Bantamweight Champion for both promotions.

Early life

Johns was born and raised by a single mother in

Pontarddulais Pontarddulais (), also spelled Pontardulais (), is a town and community in Swansea, Wales. It is northwest of the city centre. It is in the Pontarddulais ward of the City and County of Swansea Council. Pontarddulais adjoins the village of Hend ...

. 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. 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. He turned professional in 2012 and competed on the regional circuit with stints in

Fighting Championship and

Titan Fighting Championships Titan Fighting Championship (Titan FC) is an American mixed martial arts promotion based out of Pompano Beach, Florida. Their shows were originally run in and near Kansas City and have since expanded to include venues all over North America and e ...

where he was the Bantamweight Champion for each promotion. Johns signed with the UFC in 2016.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Johns made his promotional debut on 19 November 2016 against Kwan Ho Kwak at

UFC Fight Night 99 ''UFC Fight Night: Mousasi vs. Hall 2'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 99'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that was held on November 19, 2016 at The SSE Arena in Belfast, Northern Ireland Backg ...

. He won the fight via unanimous decision. Johns was expected to face

Ian Entwistle Ian Entwistle (born 19 November 1986) is a British mixed martial artist who formerly competed in the Bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Background Born and raised in Accrington, Lancashire, Entwistle competed in ...

on 18 March 2017 at

UFC Fight Night 107 ''UFC Fight Night: Manuwa vs. Anderson'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 107'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship held on March 18, 2017, at The O2 Arena in London, England. Background This event wa ...

. 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. Johns was expected to face

Mitch Gagnon Mitch Gagnon (born October 10, 1984) is a retired Canadians, Canadian mixed martial artist who competed in the Bantamweight (MMA), Bantamweight division. He is most notable for his time in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Mixed martial arts c ...

on 16 July 2017 at

UFC Fight Night 113 ''UFC Fight Night: Nelson vs. Ponzinibbio'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 113'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship held on July 16, 2017 at The SSE Hydro in Glasgow, Scotland. Background The event w ...

. However, Gagnon was removed from the card on 27 June and replaced by

Albert Morales Albert Morales (born May 25, 1991) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Bantamweight division. He has also competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and of Bellator MMA. Background Born and raised in Southern Califor ...

. Johns won the bout by unanimous decision. Johns faced

Joe Soto Joseph Angel Soto (born March 22, 1987) is an American professional mixed martial artist who most recently competed in the bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional competitor since 2006, Soto has also for ...

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

Aljamain Sterling Aljamain Antoine Sterling (born July 31, 1989) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Featherweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he is a former UFC Bantamweight Champion. S ...

on 21 April 2018 at

UFC Fight Night 128 ''UFC Fight Night: Barboza vs. Lee'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 128'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that was held on April 21, 2018, at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Background ...

. He lost the fight by unanimous decision. Johns faced

Pedro Munhoz Pedro Henrique Lopes Munhoz (born September 7, 1986) is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist who currently competes in the Bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He is the former Bantamweight Champion of Resur ...

on 4 August 2018 at

UFC 227 ''UFC 227: Dillashaw vs. Garbrandt 2'' was a mixed martial arts event that was produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship and held on August 4, 2018, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. Background A UFC Bantamweight Championshi ...

. He lost the fight by unanimous decision. Johns faced

Tony Gravely Tony Gravely (born September 28, 1991) is an American mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist who competes in the Bantamweight (MMA), Bantamweight division. A professional since 2015, he is most notable for his time in the Ultimate Fighting Cham ...

on 25 January 2020 at

UFC Fight Night 166 ''UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs. dos Santos'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 166'' and ''UFC on ESPN+ 24'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on January 25, 2020 at PNC Arena in Raleigh, ...

. He won the fight via a rear-naked choke in round three. This win earned him the Fight of the Night award. Johns faced

Montel Jackson Montel Samuel Jackson (born April 24, 1992) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Bantamweight (MMA), Bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of May 6, 2025, he is #14 in the ...

on 19 July 2020 at

UFC Fight Night 172 ''UFC Fight Night: Figueiredo vs. Benavidez 2'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 172'', ''UFC on ESPN+ 30'' and ''UFC Fight Island 2'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on July 19, 2020 ...

. He won the fight via unanimous decision.

Bellator MMA

On 2 October 2020, Johns revealed he had signed a multi-fight deal with

after testing free agency when his UFC contract expired. Johns was expected to make his Bellator debut on 21 May 2021 at

Bellator 259 Bellator 259: Cyborg vs. Smith 2 was a mixed martial arts event that was produced by Bellator MMA at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. Background The event featured a Bellator Women's Featherweight Championship bout between the ch ...

against Matheus Mattos. However, Mattos pulled out from the bout after contracting COVID-19 and was replaced by former Titan FC bantamweight champion

Danny Sabatello Daniel Anthony Sabatello (born March 31, 1993) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Bantamweight division of Rizin Fighting Federation. Background Coming from a Sicilian family whose roots trace back to Palermo, Danny was b ...

. Johns lost the bout via unanimous decision. Johns was scheduled to face Érik Pérez on 16 October 2021 at

Bellator 268 Bellator 268: Nemkov vs. Anglickas (also known as ''Bellator Phoenix'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by Bellator MMA that took place on October 16, 2021, at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona, United States. Background The eve ...

. However on 5 October it was announced that Perez was injured and the bout was scrapped. Johns faced Khurshed Kakhorov on 25 February 2022 at

Bellator 275 Bellator 275: Mousasi vs. Vanderford was a mixed martial arts event produced by Bellator MMA that took place on February 25, 2022, at the 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland. Background In the main event, Gegard Mousasi defended his Middleweight titl ...

. He won the bout via ground and pound TKO in the third round. Johns was scheduled to face James Gallagher on 23 September 2022 at

Bellator 285 ''Bellator 285: Henderson vs. Queally'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by Bellator MMA, that took place on 23 September 2022 at the 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland. Background Bellator returned to Dublin for the second time in 2022, feat ...

. However in August, it was announced that Gallagher pulled out of the bout for unknown reasons. Jordan Winski was picked as a replacement for Gallagher. Johns won the bout via unanimous decision. Johns was scheduled to face Marcirley Alves on 12 May 2023 at

Bellator 296 ''Bellator 296: Mousasi vs. Edwards'' (also known as ''Bellator Paris'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by Bellator MMA that took place on May 12, 2023, at Accor Arena in Paris, France. Background The event marked the promotion's thir ...

. However, the week of the event, Johns pulled out due to

staph infection A staphylococcal infection or staph infection is an infection caused by members of the ''Staphylococcus'' genus of bacteria. These bacteria commonly inhabit the skin and nose where they are innocuous, but may enter the body through cuts or abrasi ...

Professional Fighters League

After completing his contract, Johns signed with the

and made his debut against David Tonatiuh Crol on 8 December 2023 at PFL Europe 4. He won the fight by TKO in the third round. Johns faced Timur Khizriev on 19 April 2024 at

PFL 3 (2024) The ''PFL 3'' mixed martial arts event for the 2024 season of the Professional Fighters League was held on April 19, 2024, at the Wintrust Arena in Chicago, Illinois, United States. This marked the third regular-season event of the tournament a ...

. He lost the bout via unanimous decision. Johns was scheduled to face

Ádám Borics Ádám Borics (born July 7, 1993) is a Hungarian Mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist who competes in the Featherweight (MMA), Featherweight division of the Professional Fighters League. He previously competed for Bellator MMA. Early life ...

on 28 June 2024 at PFL 6, but Borics pulled out and was replaced by Tyler Diamond. He lost the fight via unanimous decision.

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

** Performance of the Night (One time) vs.

** Fight of the Night (One time) **UFC.com Awards ***2017: Ranked #3 Submission of the Year *

** Titan FC Bantamweight Championship (one time; former) *

** CWFC Bantamweight Championship (one time; former) *Pain Pit Fight Night **PPFN Bantamweight (145 lbs) Championship *

Sherdog Sherdog is an American website devoted to the sport of mixed martial arts (MMA). It also has many forums and discussion pages on the many topics of MMA like records, promotions, etc. The site is a member of the CraveOnline network and provides MM ...

**UFC/MMA 'Submission of the Year' 2017 – Top 5 List No. 4 vs.

*MMADNA.nl **2017 Submission of the Year (Calf Slicer vs. Joe Soto at The Ultimate Fighter 26 Finale).

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 20–5 , Tyler Diamond , Decision (unanimous) ,

PFL 6 (2024) The ''PFL 6'' mixed martial arts event for the 2024 season of the Professional Fighters League was held on June 28, 2024, at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, United States. This marked the sixth regular-season event of the tou ...

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Sioux Falls, South Dakota Sioux Falls ( ) is the List of cities in South Dakota, most populous city in the U.S. state of South Dakota and the List of United States cities by population, 117th-most populous city in the United States. It is the county seat of Minnehaha Coun ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 20–4 , Timur Khizriev , Decision (unanimous) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Chicago, Illinois Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 20–3 , David Tonatiuh Crol , TKO (punches) , PFL Europe 4 (2023) , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 3:09 ,

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

, Ireland , , - , Win , align=center, 19–3 , Jordan Winski , Decision (unanimous) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Ireland , , - , Win , align=center, 18–3 , Khurshed Kakhorov , TKO (punches) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 3:00 ,

, Ireland , , - , Loss , align=center, 17–3 ,

, Decision (unanimous) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Uncasville, Connecticut Uncasville is a village in the town of Montville, Connecticut, United States. It is located in southeastern Montville, at the mouth of the Oxoboxo River where it flows into the Thames River. The name is now applied more generally to all of the ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 17–2 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Figueiredo vs. Benavidez 2 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi is the capital city of the United Arab Emirates. The city is the seat of the Abu Dhabi Central Capital District, the capital city of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, and the UAE's List of cities in the United Arab Emirates, second-most popu ...

, United Arab Emirates , , - , Win , align=center, 16–2 ,

, Submission (rear-naked choke) , UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs. dos Santos , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 2:53 ,

Raleigh, North Carolina Raleigh ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, second-most populous city in the state (after Charlotte, North Carolina, Charlotte) ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 15–2 ,

, Decision (unanimous) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 15–1 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Barboza vs. Lee , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Atlantic City, New Jersey Atlantic City, sometimes referred to by its initials A.C., is a Jersey Shore seaside resort city (New Jersey), city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, Atlantic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Atlantic City comprises the second half of ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 15–0 ,

, Submission (calf slicer) , The Ultimate Fighter: A New World Champion Finale , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:30 ,

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 14–0 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Nelson vs. Ponzinibbio , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

, Scotland , , - , Win , align=center, 13–0 , Kwak Kwan-ho , Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Mousasi vs. Hall 2 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Belfast Belfast (, , , ; from ) is the capital city and principal port of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan and connected to the open sea through Belfast Lough and the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North Channel ...

, Northern Ireland , , - , Win , align=center, 12–0 , Anthony Gutierrez , Decision (split) , Titan FC 34 , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City, Missouri, abbreviated KC or KCMO, is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri by List of cities in Missouri, population and area. The city lies within Jackson County, Missouri, Jackson, Clay County, Missouri, Clay, and Pl ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 11–0 ,

Walel Watson Walel Watson (born July 16, 1984) is an American mixed martial artist and bare knuckle boxer. A professional since 2008, he has fought in the UFC, Titan FC, and Tachi Palace Fights. MMA career Watson made his professional debut in 2008 for MMA Xt ...

, Submission (rear-naked choke) , Titan FC 33 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:06 ,

Mobile, Alabama Mobile ( , ) is a city and the county seat of Mobile County, Alabama, United States. The population was 187,041 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. After a successful vote to annex areas west of the city limits in July 2023, Mobil ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 10–0 , James Brum , Decision (unanimous) , Cage Warriors FC 67 , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Swansea Swansea ( ; ) is a coastal City status in the United Kingdom, city and the List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, second-largest city of Wales. It forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area, officially known as the City and County of ...

, 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 Cardiff (; ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. Cardiff had a population of in and forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area officially known as the City and County of Ca ...

, 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 ,

, Wales , , - , Win , align=center, 6–0 , Joe Orrey , Submission (armbar) , Pain Pit Fight Night 6 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:59 ,

Newport Newport most commonly refers to: *Newport, Wales *Newport, Rhode Island, US Newport or New Port may also refer to: Places Asia *Newport City, Metro Manila, a Philippine district in Pasay * Newport (Vietnam), a United States Army and Army of t ...

, Wales , , - , Win , align=center, 5–0 , Barrie Monty , TKO (punches) , Bad Blood Fight Night 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:17 ,

Llanelli ; ) is a market town and community (Wales), community in Carmarthenshire and the Preserved counties of Wales, preserved county of Dyfed, Wales. It is on the estuary of the River Loughor and is the largest town in the Principal areas of Wales, ...

, Wales , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Sam Gilbert , Decision (unanimous) , Cage Warriors 49 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Wales , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Kyle Prosser , Decision (unanimous) , Pain Pit Fight Night 4 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Wales , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Arunis Klimavicius , Submission (triangle choke) , Celtic Battle Fight Night , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:31 ,

Carmarthen Carmarthen (, ; , 'Merlin's fort' or possibly 'Sea-town fort') is the county town of Carmarthenshire and a community (Wales), community in Wales, lying on the River Towy north of its estuary in Carmarthen Bay. At the 2021 United Kingdom cen ...

, Wales , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Ben Wood , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Pain Pit Fight Night 3 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:04 ,

, Wales ,

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Johns, Brett 1992 births Living people Welsh male judoka Sportspeople from Swansea Bantamweight mixed martial artists Welsh male mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing judo Mixed martial artists utilizing Muay Thai Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Welsh practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu Welsh Muay Thai practitioners People awarded a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu Lightweight mixed martial artists Featherweight mixed martial artists People educated at Ysgol Gyfun Gŵyr Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters 21st-century Welsh sportsmen

Early life

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Bellator MMA

Professional Fighters League

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

Mixed martial arts record

See also

References

External links