THE first Welsh fighter to enter the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s Octagon is set to return this weekend.
Brett “The Pikey” Johns, 25, will be fighting for the second time in his UFC career, this time against England’s Ian “Enty” Entwistle, 30 at O2 Arena in London on Saturday.
The bantamweight fighter became the first Welshman to enter the UFC at Fight Night 99 in November last year, alongside compatriate Jack Marshman.
Johns trains out of the Chris Rees Academy, Swansea and specialises in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and mixed martial arts.
The Welshman’s fight will be the third of the night, ahead of the main card between the English and American fighters Jimi “Poster Boy” Manuwa and Corey “Overtime” Anderson.
Johns’ return comes hot on the heels of troubles for Welsh fighters in the UFC. Jack Marshman lost his bout last month, while John Phillips, who had been due to face off against Brazil’s Marcos Rogerio de Lima in January, was unable to fight after visa issues.
Fighting professionally since 2012, Johns has had zero losses and 13 wins, including his UFC debut against South Korea’s Kwan Ho Kwak by decision.
This will be Entwistle’s fourth fight since joining the UFC in 2014, having lost two of his last three bouts. After losing by knockout in December 2014 Entwistle took a two-year break from the UFC.
- UFC is a mixed martial arts promotion, known for its minimal rules. Contestants are matched in various weight categories, then enter the Octagon, an eight-sided cage and have to defeat their opponents by knockout, submission or judges’ decision. Fights are shown around the world and audiences for the biggest fights number in the millions.
