Is Bryce Mitchell a fan favorite? Or, does his persona rub the majority of mixed martial arts fans the wrong way? While his projection towards fans is unclear, Mitchell is undoubtedly polarizing. Inside the cage, “Thug Nasty’s” body of work speaks for itself. But, outside of the octagon is where Mitchell seems to be a bad taste in the fan’s mouths. Recently, Mitchell took to social media to put a stamp on his anti-mask agenda. However, he classified the rhetoric as his right to express the first amendment in his post-fight interview.
Bryce Mitchell Shares Anti-Mask Theory
Mitchell was able to secure a unanimous decision victory over Andre Fili at UFC Vegas 12. The Arkansas native has always been expressive for his love of camo, as well as his political views. Immediately after his big victory, he spoke to the media about his belief on why wearing a mask isn’t “what he voted up for.”
“I’m just asking to get our freedoms back, and I don’t think that’s much to ask for,” Mitchell said. “What I’m saying is, make the mask optional in Arkansas for people who own restaurants and people who own businesses. Make it optional. Why tell someone they have to wear a mask? What if they don’t want to or what if it affects their breathing and gives them headaches?”
Shortly after, Mitchell continued his monologue. However, this time he touched on a theory of his own. His belief is that if somebody else has a mask on, he shouldn’t have to wear one.
“Here’s another theory I got. If your mask works so well, why are you worried about if I’m wearing one? Don’t you got one on? Why does it matter? If they work so good, why are you worried I got one? You wear one and you worry about you. If you think you’re gonna get sick, stay home. That’s all I’m saying. I’m saying taking away our liberties and our freedoms without a vote, I don’t think that’s the right answer,” Mitchell said.
“There’s going to be a lot of criticism and a lot of people attacking me, they’re going to say I’m a dumb MMA fighter and that I don’t got no sense sharing my opinion. But you know what? I pay my taxes.”
Reacting to the Comments
Mitchell was correct that there would be tons of criticism from the fans for his take. Social media went ablaze and even Arkansas natives sounded off, stating that the air in the state isn’t even “fresh” as Bryce stated. Are fans okay with Mitchell’s assessment?