Wales' UFC fighters want their next fight to be at London's O2 Arena

Wales' first Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) fighters say they want their next fight to be at London's O2 Arena in 2017.

Jack Marshman and Brett Johns both won on their UFC debuts in Belfast earlier this month.

The next scheduled UFC Fight night in Europe is in London in March - and both fighters are aiming to be on the card.

"Ideally we'd like to start with 18 March in London," Marshman told BBC Wales Sport.

"Obviously Belfast wasn't far away but we still had to fly people over there.

"If we were to fight in London, in the O2 [Arena], we'd take coach loads of people up there. The atmosphere would just be amazing."

UFC say they are keen for a large Welsh contingent in the crowd.

James Elliott, Vice President and General Manager UFC said: "Jack and Brett put on a great performance in Belfast last month.

"They represented Wales on the global sporting stage and showed they had the skill set to compete against the best mixed martial artists in the world.

The UFC's matchmakers will be looking at who their next opponents will be in the coming months. We know they've expressed an interest in competing on 18th March and if all the pieces fall into place it would be great to bring the Welsh crowd to London next year."

The UFC is not expected to reveal which fighters have made the card until the new year but Johns believes he and Marshman have shown they can bring fans to an event.

• Watch: BBC Wales Sport's Facebook Live Q&A with Jack Marshman and Brett Johns

"The pair of us didn't have much notice to sell tickets [for Belfast]," he said.

"But we still took a crowd out there. They obviously wouldn't have to fly to London. We'd take a really good following."

'Still enjoying the fuss'

24-year-old Brett Johns beat South Korean Kwan Ho Kwak in a unanimous decision at UFC Fight Night 99 on 19 November

Marshman and Johns say the support they have had since making history in Belfast has been amazing but neither have taken much time off since fighting less than two weeks ago.

"We haven't stopped - this is just the start," Johns continued.

"I'm not really sick of the fuss to be honest. I want to keep the ball rolling.

"I'd like to see where we are in three years' time. I genuinely see [a UFC Fight Night at] the Millennium Stadium for myself and Jack in the future."