It was an unsuccessful return to competition for UFC contender Bryce Mitchell on Friday.
Mitchell is looking to keep busy in combat sports, and he was back in action less than two months after his latest assignment inside the UFC Octagon.
The Arkansas native is most known for his grappling, which he showcased during an undefeated start to life in MMA and a run that included Mitchell’s memorable twister submission against Matt Sayles in 2019.
But on the mats in his most recent bout, ‘Thug Nasty’ was firmly outmatched…
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Bryce Mitchell loses to rapid leg lock against 19-year-old BJJ prospect
Since Mitchell’s brutal loss to Ilia Topuria marked his first defeat in professional MMA, the American has been on an inconsistent run, exchanging wins and setbacks. A submission against Jean Silva brought about a change for the 30-year-old, as Mitchell made his UFC bantamweight debut in Abu Dhabi this past July.
After defeating Said Nurmagomedov, ‘Thug Nasty’ has replaced the featherweight title with the 135-pound gold in his crosshairs. Before continuing that pursuit, though, Mitchell recently took time to compete away from MMA.
The UFC contender was part of a 16-man bracket at the Eddie Bravo Invitational 25 lightweight tournament in San Antonio, Texas, on September 12. In addition to Mitchell, the event featured the likes of two-time ADCC trials winner Ethan Crelinsten and two-time IBJJF no gi world champion Gianni Grippo.
Mitchell got through his quarterfinal bout with a decision against JJ Bowers but was quickly eliminated in the semifinals, where he ran into 19-year-old BJJ prospect Landon Elmore.
The teenager needed less than a minute to force the UFC fighter to submit to a leg lock, which came moments after a reset brought about by Mitchell carrying Elmore out of bounds following a flying triangle choke attempt.
Elmore went on to win the tournament, while Mitchell outlined his plans to continue competing in grappling outside of the UFC Octagon.
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Bryce Mitchell thinks he is the man to beat Merab Dvalishvili
Following that side quest on the mats, Mitchell will likely set his sights back on the cage and the next step in his desired journey to the top of the bantamweight division.
While many are doubting the 30-year-old’s chances of reaching the title, a sentiment that his debut performance did little to squash, ‘Thug Nasty’ has high self-belief.
In fact, Mitchell thinks he could beat champion Merab Dvalishvili — and that he is the only man in the division capable of doing so.
“(The bantamweight division) just needs somebody like me in there to shake things up, and I can almost promise you I’m going to shake things up,” Mitchell told MMA Junkie. “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!”
“Nobody’s going to beat Merab unless they call somebody who knows how to,” Mitchell continued. “I love Merab, Merab’s actually a great friend of mine. … I’ve got the only resume that can even possibly compete with him.”