Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
Brett Johns returned to the win column earlier tonight (Sat., Jan 25, 2020) at UFC Fight Night 166 live on ESPN+ from inside PNC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina, when he stopped bantamweight newcomer Tony Gravely via rear-naked choke in the third round.
This was a true back-and-forth bout as both men secured timely takedowns and scored points from top position, but Johns seemed to have a slight upper hand at every turn. After nearly locking in a rear-naked choke in the first round, “Pikey” went right back to it in the third after peppering Gravely with relentless punches from the back. Gravely needed to protect his face but it allowed Johns to sneak his arm under the chin and secure the finish.
Check out the submission stoppage above courtesy of UFC/ESPN.
With this performance, Johns locks down his first UFC win since December 2017 after losing back-to-back fights to top contenders Pedro Munhoz and Aljamain Sterling. Johns is only 27 years of age and looked dialed in during his first fight of 2020. We’ll see what the talented Welsh grappler can do as he climbs his way back up the 135-pound ladder.
For complete UFC Raleigh results and coverage click here.