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.”
