Tony Gravely
Division: Bantamweight
Result: Brett Johns def. Tony Gravely via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 3, 2:53
Record: 19-6 MMA, 0-1 UFC
Grade: C
[autotag]Tony Gravely[/autotag] impressed on “Dana White’s Contender Series” as he earned his contract to fight on the big show, and the UFC matchmakers certainly didn’t give him an easy introduction to life at the top level of MMA.
Gravely faced Brett Johns, a former Cage Warriors champion who was fired up and looking to bounce back from back-to-back defeats to Aljamain Sterling and Pedro Munhoz, respectively – the only losses of his career. But, despite facing tough, motivated opposition, Gravely battled gamely in an entertaining back-and-forth grapple-heavy matchup before eventually succumbing to a third-round rear-naked choke submission.
While he may not have picked up the win he would have wanted in his octagon debut, his defensive work on the mat against the relentless Johns showed both skill and composure as he held off the Welshman while offering an attacking threat of his own.
The nature of the matchup meant we didn’t get to see too much of Gravely’s standup, but in a bout that saw him thrown in with a man who has held his own in battles with two of the UFC’s current top five, he certainly showed enough to suggest that better things are to come for the 28-year-old Virginian.