UFC bantamweight Brett Johns revealed Khabib Nurmagomedov’s fight against Conor McGregor kick-started an unlikely friendship with footballer Oli McBurnie.
The Welshman has been a fan of Sheffield United striker McBurnie since his playing days at Swansea, where he scored 26 goals.
UFC star Brett Johns, middle left, struck a friendship with Sheff Utd striker Oli McBurnie, middle right,Credit: Twitter
Johns and McBurnie met after watching Khabib vs McGregor togetherCredit: USA TODAY Sports
But after seeing the forward on a night out, Johns invited him into his booth as the pair watched Nurmagomedov submit McGregor in October 2018.
And the two athletes have been friends ever since.
Johns told SunSport: “I know Oli because he used to play for the Swans who I follow.
“I follow all of Welsh football even the Welsh Football League. After we beat Millwall last season 2-1, we went out afterwards and it happened to be the night McGregor was fighting Khabib.
“I had a booth and saw Oli walking past on his way to the watch the fight so I invited him in.
“We had a great night and ever since then we have been close. We message a lot and it’s nice to see him doing well at football.”
Johns and McBurnie were pictured together supporting Swansea in the South Wales derby this month, which ended goalless.
But McBurnie found himself in hot water after being spotted taunting Cardiff fans in the away end.
Johns, though, insisted passionate Oli is just a fan at heart who has a throwback attitude to mix with supporters.
He said: “He’s a lovely guy and is brilliant with the fans.
“You don’t see many footballers interact with fans these days but Oli is brilliant at that.
“If you spend 10 minutes with him you can’t stop laughing.”
Oli McBurnie was spotted in the crowd making a rude gesture at Cardiff fansCredit: Rex Features
Johns is 15-2 in his UFC career and beat ex-title challenger Joe Soto in 2017Credit: Instagram
McBurnie’s Blades are flying this season in eighth with the 23-year-old netting four times.
But pal Johns is planning his own collision course this year, having been sidelined in 2019 with a knee injury.
The 27-year-old fought 135lb elite in his last two bouts, losing to Aljamain Sterling and Pedro Munhoz as he saw his 15-fight winning streak snapped.
After back-to-back defeat Johns – who beat ex-UFC title challenger Joe Soto in 2017 – is determined to get the winning taste back.
But he faces a tough challenger in American Tony Gravely, who has won his last seven, as the two clash in North Carolina on Saturday, with heavyweights Curtis Blaydes and Junior dos Santos headlining.
He explained: “I’m not a massive fan of the idea that you always learn from winning. I learnt that I hate losing – it’s not a nice feeling.
“Even though I lost to good opponents who were ranked second and fifth in the world at one point, those are the types of guys I want to fight and I totally believe I can beat them.
“I felt I was on an off day – not to take anything away from those fighters – because they are highly ranked for a reason.
“They are extremely legitimate opponents. It’s nice to feel like I have my fire back. I’m over the losses and am now looking forward to Saturday and showing people that I’m a different person.”
Johns fought 135lb elite in his last two bouts, losing to Aljamain Sterling and Pedro MunhozCredit: Instagram
The Welshman faces American Tony Gravely in his next fightCredit: Instagram
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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
