5 Things You Might Not Know About Brett Johns

Once one of the game’s brightest prospects, Brett Johns now finds himself north of 30 years of age and without a defined role in the Bellator MMA bantamweight division.

The former Cage Warriors Fighting Championship and Titan Fighting Championship titleholder will lock horns with Khurshed Kakhorov as part of the Bellator 275 undercard on Friday at 3Arena in Dublin, where he expects to face considerable resistance from the unbeaten Tajikistani standout. Johns has won twice in his past three appearances. He made his organizational debut at Bellator 259, where he dropped a unanimous decision to American Top Team prospect Danny Sabatello on May 21.

As Johns inches ever closer to his three-round battle with Kakhorov at 135 pounds, here are five things you might not know about him:

1. He shares a birthplace with a silver-screen starlet.

Johns was born on Feb. 21, 1992 in Swansea, Wales—the second-largest city in the coastal country. He hails from the same hometown as Academy Award-winning actress Catherine Zeta-Jones, who has starred in “Traffic,” “Chicago,” “The Terminal” and “Ocean’s Twelve.”

2. A fast start propelled him upward.

The Welshman won his first 15 professional fights as a mixed martial artist. Johns started his tear with a first-round rear-naked choke submission of Ben Wood at a Pain Pit Fight Night event on June 30, 2012 and ended it with a first-round calf slicer submission of Joe Soto at “The Ultimate Fighter 26” Finale on Dec. 1, 2017.

3. The scale has plagued him in the past.

Johns has surrendered two titles due to failed weight cuts. He was stripped of the Cage Warriors Fighting Championship bantamweight crown when he missed weight ahead of his Cage Warriors 67 encounter with James Brum in April 2014 and suffered the same fate when he was stripped of his Titan Fighting Championship bantamweight belt ahead of his Titan 34 pairing with Anthony Gutierrez in July 2015.

4. He excelled at the sport’s highest level.

“The Pikey” enjoyed a successful seven-bout run in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, as he posted a 5-2 record inside the Octagon. Losses to Aljamain Sterling and Pedro Munhoz were more than offset by victories over the aforementioned Soto, Montel Jackson, Tony Gravely, Albert Morales and Kwan Ho Kwak. Johns signed a multi-fight deal with Bellator after the UFC allowed his contract to expire in 2020.

5. He stays true to his roots.

Johns holds the rank of black belt in judo and Brazilian jiu-jitsu. He remains a grappler at heart, as evidenced by the fact that he has delivered 15 of his 17 career wins by submission or decision. In fact, Johns has not put away an opponent with strikes in nearly nine years.