Latest news with #BryceMitchell
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Bryce Mitchell open to 'damn good fight' vs. Umar Nurmagomedov after UFC on ABC 9 win
ABU DHABI – Bryce Mitchell is ready to challenge himself after a successful return to bantamweight. Mitchell (18-3 MMA, 9-3 UFC) rallied from an early knockdown to outgrapple Said Nurmagomedov in Saturday's UFC on ABC 9 featured prelim at Etihad Arena. "Thug Nasty" admitted that Nurmagomedov (18-5 MMA, 7-4 UFC) gave him all he could handle. "I mean, I didn't expect to be in that much pain, to be honest," Mitchell told MMA Junkie and other reporters during a post-fight news conference. "I knew it was going to be hard, but I didn't think it was going to be that hard, to be honest. He's tougher than I thought. Like everything in my body hurts." Mitchell doubts he has any serious injuries, but went as far as calling Nurmagomedov one of his hardest fights. "I think that I have better cardio at '35, and that was a really, really hard fight," Mitchell said. "I think he was tired, too. He hurt me real bad in the first round, but I don't even remember half of the first round. If you take away that one shot, maybe I wouldn't be as jacked up as I am, I don't know. But, it was a really, really hard fight. I wish it would have been more exciting for the fans, but I was just fighting for my life. I really was praying during the fight. "Like, Jesus just keep me alive because the fight felt like death. I remember fighting for air, I remember getting hit and seeing lights, and I remember coach telling me in between rounds, 'You can do this,' and it was a really, really hard fight. I was literally praying, 'Jesus just please keep me alive,' and I was fighting with all my strength. Afterwards, I was overheated. I could barely move. I was so hot, and it was hard to breathe after the fight." So, how about taking on another Nurmagomedov in Umar Nurmagomedov? Even though Said and Umar are not related, Mitchell embraced the challenge when the suggestion was thrown his way. "I think that would be a pretty damn good fight," Mitchell said. "Hell, why not? I already fought one of them, let's just fight all the Nurmagomedovs that there is." This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC Abu Dhabi: Bryce Mitchell open to Umar Nurmagomedov fight next
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
UFC on ABC 9: TJ Brown discusses cornering Bryce Mitchell
UFC veteran T.J. Brown talks to MMA Junkie about cornering Bryce Mitchell at UFC on ABC 9 and his own career update.
Yahoo
18-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Bryce Mitchell says Ilia Topuria loss still makes him mad, but success 'well deserved'
ABU DHABI – Bryce Mitchell is still not over his loss to UFC lightweight champion Ilia Topuria. Mitchell (17-3 MMA, 8-3 UFC) was submitted by Topuria in their featherweight bout at UFC 282 in December 2022. Mitchell later revealed that he was battling the flu, and unable to perform to the best of his ability. "The Ilia fight, that's the one fight that still just makes me mad to this day," Mitchell told MMA Junkie. "But you live and you learn, and there's nothing I can do about it except do my best this next fight." Both fighters have since switched weight classes, with Mitchell dropping down to bantamweight, and Topuria (17-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC) moving up to lightweight. Topuria claimed the vacant 155-pound belt by knocking out Charles Oliveira at UFC 317. "I think that it's well deserved," Mitchell said of Topuria's success. "I don't have any ill-will towards him, I just don't like him because he called me a coward, and I'm not a coward. He is a liar because he called me a coward. I proved that I'm not a coward. "I fought the man, and I'll fight him again. I'm not a coward. He did whoop me, but I'm not a coward. A coward is someone who doesn't show up to fight. He's a liar because he called me a coward. I don't like him, probably never will, but I also don't wish any harm upon him." Mitchell was able to test Topuria's grappling a bit by taking him down once in their fight, and controlling him for over a minute. "Thug Nasty" is adamant that he could get the best of Topuria, but knows a rematch isn't realistic at this point. "I'm better at it than he is," Mitchell said of Topuria's grappling. "I wish I could get that rematch. Obviously, I don't deserve it, but I think that I can beat him. I know I can, but I'll never get to prove that to the world, but that's OK. Not everything happens the way that you want it." Mitchell makes his bantamweight debut in the octagon when he takes on Said Nurmagomedov (18-4 MMA, 7-3 UFC) at UFC on ABC 9 (ABC, ESPN, ESPN+) on July 26 from Etihad Arena. This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Bryce Mitchell reflects on loss to UFC champion Ilia Topuria
Yahoo
17-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Bryce Mitchell adamant only he can beat Merab Dvalishvili: 'I'm going to shake things up'
ABU DHABI – Bryce Mitchell plans on breathing new life into the UFC bantamweight division. Mitchell (17-3 MMA, 8-3 UFC) takes on Said Nurmagomedov (18-4 MMA, 7-3 UFC) in his return to 135 pounds on July 26 at UFC on ABC 9 (ABC, ESPN, ESPN+) from Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. Mitchell, who's trained with UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili (20-4 MMA, 13-2 UFC) in the past, thinks the division has hit a stagnant point and is confident that he can make some noise with his arrival. "I think it needs to be spiced up a little bit," Mitchell told MMA Junkie of the bantamweight division. "It just needs somebody like me in there to shake things up, and I can almost promise you I'm going to shake things up. ... They need something exciting right now because let's be honest: Nobody's going to beat Merab. Who's going to beat Merab? You're going to have to call somebody that can beat him because right now literally nobody can beat Merab. So they're going to realize that they need a guy like me. Here I am. Call me!" Could it be expected title challenger Cory Sandhagen? Mitchell was quick to dismiss the No. 1 contender's chances. "Thug Nasty" believes that with his size and grappling credentials, he's the only one who can truly push Dvalishvili. "Cory's going to lose, and that's what's going to happen," Mitchell said. "And you can watch the fight just to watch Cory get beat, but he's not going to win. Nobody's going to beat Merab unless they call somebody who knows how to. I love Merab, Merab's actually a great friend of mine, and I can promise you he's going to beat Cory. It's boring! Nobody wants to watch him win and not fight. Everybody wants to see a fight, and I'm telling you, I'm bringing a fight to this division. "It's going to shake things up. It's actually going to get people interested in this division again because once again, nobody wants to watch Merab win easily. ... I've got the only resume that can even possibly compete with him. All these other fights, I mean I guess it'll be a little bit entertaining because you get to see how Merab wins, but it's not going to be a fight. Cory Sandhagen's going to be fighting for air." This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC's Bryce Mitchell adamant only he can beat Merab Dvalishvili
USA Today
19-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
UFC on ABC 9: Bryce Mitchell explains why he moved down to bantamweight
UFC on ABC 9: Bryce Mitchell explains why he moved down to bantamweight Bryce Mitchell will compete at bantamweight for the first time in the UFC for his next fight. A perennial contender at featherweight throughout much of his UFC tenure, "Thug Nasty" came to a realization that he's perhaps a better fit at 135 pounds. That decision came immediately after his submission loss to Jean Silva at UFC 314 in April. "I pretty much made up my mind right after this last fight," Mitchell said in an interview with Home of Fight. "The guy was so much bigger than me, and I really felt it in the second round. In the first round, obviously I could tell he was bigger and stronger, but it was really in the second round where I felt it. I think that I'm a '35er. My weight's already come down quite a bit since I started dieting. I got this call two weeks ago, I think. So, I'm excited about it. Everything's going good." Mitchell (17-3 MMA, 8-3 UFC) has been matched up with Said Nurmagomedov (18-4 MMA, 7-3 UFC) for his return to bantamweight at UFC on ABC 9 (ABC, ESPN, ESPN+) on July 26 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. "I feel like I'm going to win the fight, and I feel like I can beat anybody," Mitchell said of Nurmagomedov. "Him specifically, he's good at a lot of stuff. I respect him, and I'm going to put on a great show. That's a good thing for the fans. No matter how it goes for me or for Said, it's going to go great for the fans. I guarantee you it's going to be a fun fight because I'm going to make it a fun fight."
