Bryce Mitchell beat Said Nurmagomedov by unanimous decision at UFC Abu Dhabi on July 26, 2025, in his first bantamweight fight. The tough bout at Etihad Arena saw Mitchell rocked by a knee but rally with wrestling. Mitchell’s faith helped him push through intense pain. He shared raw thoughts, saying he prayed to stay alive while fighting for his life.
Bryce Mitchell has a message for Said Nurmagomedov😅
“Send him 2-3 years Arkansas and forget”
🎥 @ThugnastyMMA pic.twitter.com/lUBMSqox3l
— Red Corner MMA (@RedCorner_MMA) July 27, 2025
Mitchell Battles Through Tough Bout
Mitchell pressed forward early but took a hard knee in the first round, nearly ending the fight.
“Good thing is if you get kneed in the face, a lot of times, you don’t feel it,” he said. “A lot of times, you don’t even remember it. Yeah, somebody told me he kneed me. I believe you. I just I wasn’t there for it.” He fought off Nurmagomedov’s ground strikes.
In round two, Mitchell landed takedowns, chasing a kimura.
“I knew it was gonna be hard, but I didn’t think it’s gonna be that hard,” he admitted. “I’ll be honest, he’s tougher than I thought. Everything on my body hurts. Like, everything.”
In the third, Mitchell kept Nurmagomedov down, earning a 29-28 score from all judges.
Mitchell described the struggle:
“I remember fighting for air. I remember getting hit and seeing lights, and I remember my coaches telling me between rounds, ‘You can do this. You can do this, just dig.’” He added, “It was a really, really hard fight, and if you ever get in one of those, I just recommend you pray because that’s literally what I was doing. I mean, I wasn’t figuratively. I was literally praying, ‘Jesus, please just keep me alive.’”
Bryce Mitchell, a 30-year-old from Texarkana, Arkansas, has a 17-3 MMA record. He went 9-0 before joining The Ultimate Fighter: Undefeated in 2018, reaching the semifinals. Mitchell debuted in the UFC in 2018, beating Charles Rosa and Andre Fili. Losses to Ilia Topuria, Josh Emmett, and Jean Silva (submission at UFC 314, April 2025) led him to drop to 135 pounds. A cattle farmer with an economics degree from Harding University, he’s known for strong grappling.
Said Nurmagomedov, a 33-year-old from Dagestan, Russia, has an 18-4 MMA record. Unrelated to Khabib Nurmagomedov, he joined the UFC in 2018, winning against Ricardo Ramos and Mark Striegl. He lost to Vinicius Oliveira in 2024. Known for kicks and guillotine chokes, Nurmagomedov couldn’t stop Mitchell’s wrestling. He trains at Eagles MMA, aiming for bantamweight success.
Mitchell’s win shows his toughness, surviving a brutal knee to start strong at bantamweight.
“I can’t think of a time I’ve been in more pain after the fight,” he said. “I mean, damn. My head hurts. My feet hurt. My hands hurt. My arms hurt. Everything was just hurt. My stomach’s hurting. I was just in a lot of pain.” His faith was key: “I was literally praying, ‘Jesus, please just keep me alive.’ And I was fighting with all my strength and afterwards I was overheated. I could barely move.” He emphasized, “I wish it would have been more exciting for the fans, but I was just fighting for my life.”
The victory boosts his 135-pound goals, while Nurmagomedov’s loss slows his climb.
Mitchell called out Umar Nurmagomedov, saying:
“I think that’d be a pretty damn good fight, brother. And, hell, why not? I already fought one of them. Let’s just fight all the Nurmagomedovs that there is, dude. Let’s just do the Nurmagomedovs versus the Mitchells, dude. And the sad thing is there’s only one Mitchell, so I have to fight them all.”
He also eyes Merab Dvalishvili. Nurmagomedov may face another bantamweight to recover. Mitchell’s social media video, joking, “Send him to Arkansas, two to three years, and forget,” got attention.
