Bryce Mitchell, ahead of his big gig at UFC 296, can’t shake off the ghost of his single career loss. He’s got a bout coming up this Saturday in Las Vegas, but that one defeat still lingers.
He’s set to face Josh Emmett, a seasoned featherweight contender. But it’s his loss to Ilia Topuria at UFC 282 that keeps him up at night. That defeat, just over a year ago, was his first and only professional setback.
Topuria, a Georgian fighter based in Spain, dominated Mitchell. He took him down with a second-round submission win. Mitchell, also known as “Thug Nasty,” thinks he could’ve done better. He believes it was his worst performance ever.
“I want that one all day, because that was my worst performance of all time,” the 29-year-old recently confessed to Michael Bisping. He added, “Even my backyard fights, I’ve never had a fight that bad. I’ve never fought that bad, I’ve never folded like that, I’ve never been able to not breathe and not move like that and, man, it just makes me mad. I know I could do better, but I don’t think people realize how much better I could do than that.”
After his loss to Topuria, Mitchell claimed he was sick with the flu. Many dismissed this as an excuse. When asked about the reaction to his comments, Mitchell had this to say:
“It gives me that fuel, and I feel like I’ve been living a righteous life, and I’ve been working, and I deserve to perform better than I did that night. I feel I’m going to get to vindicate myself.”
Topuria is now set to challenge Alexander Volkanovski for the title at UFC 298 on Feb. 17. Mitchell, on the other hand, managed to bounce back from his loss with a decision win over Dan Ige in September. Now, he’s stepping up on 10 days’ notice to take on Emmett at UFC 296, replacing Giga Chikadze, who had to withdraw due to an injury.
UFC 296 is going to be a big event, featuring two title fights. Colby Covington will be taking on reigning champion Leon Edwards for the welterweight title. Meanwhile, flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja is set to face former rival Brandon Royval in the co-main event.