Emotional Brett Johns recalls debut at UFC Fight Night 99 – and wants to be Wales' version of McGregor

BELFAST, Northern Ireland – After his UFC debut win this past Saturday in Northern Ireland, Welshman Brett Johns had plenty on his mind.

For starters, Johns (13-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) was overcome by emotion following his unanimous decision victory over Kwan Ho Kwak (9-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) at UFC Fight Night 99 – for many reasons. Johns singled out his family for putting up with him while he follows his MMA dream – which has meant needing financial support thus far on his road to the UFC.

But now that Johns, a bantamweight, has arrived in the world’s biggest promotion, and has a win under his belt, he’s starting to think that maybe, just maybe, the tide could be turning in his favor.

For starters, he hopes his win, as well as the TKO win for fellow Wales native Jack Marshman, a middleweight, on the card might open the floodgates for a surge of Welsh fighters in the UFC – and maybe even in event in the country. After all, he reasoned, why can’t Wales produce a star as big as Conor McGregor has become out of Ireland?

“It’s absolutely outstanding,” Johns said after his win over Kwak, which took place at SSE Arena Belfast in Northern Ireland and streamed on UFC Fight Pass. “It’s been an amazing experience – my whole cadreer has been an amazing experience. It’s a privilege to represent Wales. Me and Jack have separate teams in Wales, but we’re Team Wales out here. It’s been amazing to represent the country, and I’m very thankful to the UFC for giving me this opportunity.

“With me and Jack opening the gates for Wales in the UFC, what’s to say we can’t have another McGregor-esque fighter out there from Wales? We’re tough guys. (It) possibly (could be me). What am I now – 13-0? I’d like to think I got a few fans after that one.”

Johns’ scrap with Kwak was one of the most entertaining of the night. From a back-and-forth standpoint, it likely was the fans’ vote for “Fight of the Night” – though the UFC chose to give out $50,000 bonuses for four different “Performance of the Night” finishes instead of two in that category and a pair for the best fight.

At the end of it all, an exhausted Johns leaned on an equally worn out Kwak’s back before they both slumped to the canvas in mutual admiration for their 15 minutes of work.

Johns’ game plan included a staggering 11 takedowns – a new UFC/WEC bantamweight record for one fight.

“I didn’t even realize I did 11 takedowns – I thought I did three,” a surprised Johns said. “That’s outstanding. That’s quite good. I remember landing 25 takedowns in one fight in Swansea (Wales) before, so I’m going to put a plaque on my wall for that. There’s some good guys in the WEC and the UFC.”

The good vibes for Johns started as he was walking out for the fight, when England’s Brad Pickett caught his eye and wished him well.

One of my heroes, as I was walking out, Brad Pickett was in the changing room next to me, and he’s warming up (Kyogi) Horiguchi, and he gave me a thumbs up and said, ‘Good luck out there,'” Johns said. “It’s like, I can die a happy man now. I know I’ve got a long UFC career ahead of me, but this was my dream. I wanted one fight (in the UFC). I’ve had my one fight. It doesn’t mean I’m going to retire – I’m 24 years old. (But) it’s a dream come true. … I got back to the changing room and I just cried.”

Check out the full interview with Johns above, including its emotional conclusion.

And for complete coverage of UFC Fight Night 99, check out the UFC Events section of the site.