Controversial UFC fighter Bryce Mitchell looks set to switch things up.
The once-undefeated and highly touted Mitchell has hit a rough patch in his career.
Amid multiple controversies away from the Octagon, the American has seen his form inside of it dip, losing three of his last five fights.
The difficulty began when Mitchell was dominated by Ilia Topuria during the Spaniard’s run to the title in December 2022. After a brutal knockout loss to Josh Emmett the following year, Mitchell was choked out by Jean Silva in his most recent fight at UFC 314 in April.
Wins over Dan Ige and Kron Gracie haven’t been enough to keep Mitchell inside the featherweight top 15, and ‘Thug Nasty’ looks set to take drastic action in his pursuit of a return to top form.
Bryce Mitchell reportedly set for UFC bantamweight debut against Said Nurmagomedov
Having had his title ambitions at 145 pounds stalled, it would appear that Mitchell is planning on cutting 10 extra pounds to compete at bantamweight.
That was recently reported by Red Corner MMA, a reliable source for Russian fighters that claims ‘Thug Nasty’ will be welcomed to his new division by Said Nurmagomedov at UFC Abu Dhabi on July 26.
After a four-fight winning streak, Nurmagomedov — unrelated to the likes of Khabib and Umar Nurmagomedov — has lost two of his last three fights. He was most recently outpointed by the surging Vinicius Oliveira at UFC Saudi Arabia in February.
Should the matchup be confirmed by the promotion, it would mark the first time that Mitchell has competed outside of the United States.
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Fans react to Bryce Mitchell’s surprise UFC return matchup
The report quickly gained traction on social media and brought out a host of puzzled reactions.
From the weight class to the choice of opposition, many fans are shocked at the apparent plans for Mitchell following his latest brutal setback inside the UFC Octagon.
“Most random fight of the year goes to Bryce Mitchell vs Said Nurmagomedov at Bantamweight,” one wrote on X.
“What?”
“The problem isn’t his weight class, it’s his team. Bryce needs to train with better sparring partners.”
“Well, this is random.”
“The most random thing ever.”
“He’ll get cooked at bantamweight.”
In making the move down, Mitchell will adjust his sights from featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski to bantamweight kingpin Merab Dvalishvili.
And with that, ‘Thug Nasty’ will likely have an eye on Saturday’s UFC 316 event, where Dvalishvili will fight Sean O’Malley in a rematch for the title.