Brett Johns has his first Bellator assignment.
At Bellator 259 on May 21, Johns (17-2 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) will make his promotional debut against former Absolute Championship Berkut standout Matheus Mattos (12-2-1 MMA, 0-1 BMMA) in a bantamweight bout.
A person with knowledge of the matchup informed MMA Junkie of the booking Wednesday but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement. MMA DNA was the first to report the news.
Bellator 259 takes place Friday, May 21 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The main card airs on Showtime after prelims on MMA Junkie.
Johns, 29, signed with Bellator in October. The Welsh bantamweight fighter had tested free agency following the expiration of his UFC deal in July. Johns exited the UFC riding back-to-back wins over Tony Gravely and Montel Jackson. His only UFC losses in seven appearances came against Aljamain Sterling and Pedro Munhoz.
As for Mattos, the Team Pitbull standout made his Bellator debut in December. He lost a unanimous decision to Magomed Magomedov, which was only his second career defeat. The other career loss came to former UFC bantamweight champion Petr Yan in 2017.
The Johns vs. Mattos matchup is the first reported contest for Bellator 259.
