RALEIGH, N.C. – Brett Johns beat Tony Gravely with a third-round submission Saturday on the preliminary card at UFC on ESPN+ 24 in Raleigh, N.C.
Take a look inside the fight with Johns, who snapped a two-fight skid in his return after nearly a year and a half away due to injuries.
Result: Brett Johns def. Tony Gravely via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 3, 2:53
Updated records: Johns (16-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC), Gravely (19-6 MMA, 0-1 UFC)
Key stat: Johns narrowly won the takedown battle 6-5 and the striking 54-41 in a back-and-forth fight till he got the submission.
Johns on the fight’s key moment
“Yes he’s new to the UFC, but the guy is an absolute stud. There were plenty of times that he was throwing me around and I was on my back. I think he’s a future champion, but I knew how important this fight was in my career. I love being in there. I missed it so much. I’m a strong wrestler, myself. I know he’s excellent, and you can argue he won the exchanges. But I just wanted to prove that I’m no slouch in the wrestling department, either. I knew there were a lot of people back home supporting me for this one, so it’s a dream come true.”
Johns on finally winning again
“My last win was at the end of 2017. I haven’t won a fight since then. Before that, everyone was calling me the future champ, which I loved. But 700-odd days later, I hadn’t had a win. It was difficult – very, very difficult. It’s nice to be back in the win column, and not just a win, but to beat a really good guy.”
Johns on what he wants next
“I feel like I’m injury free, so I want to fight at least three times this year, if not four. I’ve got a family friend back home getting married, so I want to be there for his stag party. But after that, I’m ready to go whenever. Something like April would be perfect.”
To hear more from Johns, check out the video of the full post-fight interview above.
Emotional Brett Johns not sure what future would've held with loss at UFC Raleigh
