Bryce Mitchell considered retiring from MMA after losing against Ilia Topuria.
‘Thug Nasty’ suffered a major setback after losing his first professional MMA fight at UFC 282. He took on Topuria, a rising featherweight contender, who made a statement by submitting Mitchell in the second round. A recent video surfaced of the Arkansas native reacting to his loss by saying:
“I’m just feeling, I guess, regret, you know? I just know I could’ve done better. I’m just in so much pain that I just don’t think it’s worth it to keep going. So, I wanna stop with MMA, and I wanna take every bit of focus that I’ve spent every single day on MMA, I wanna put it into something else. Everything is meant to be, and I’m just gonna move on with my life. I’m gonna take all the energy that I spent doing MMA, and I’m gonna put it into something else, and I think I’m gonna be extremely successful.” h/t MMAMania
Mitchell had an up-and-down year with an impressive unanimous decision win against Edson Barboza in March and then the loss to Topuria. Although ‘Thug Nasty’ claimed to be retired, the reaction video was taken directly after losing at UFC 282, where he was overcome with emotion.
Watch Bryce Mitchell’s initial reaction to losing at UFC 282 below:
Bryce Mitchell announced retirement from MMA, im sure he’ll change his mind though, this was right after the fight. pic.twitter.com/cEHKe0KboW
— ჯუდოჩად (@judobetter995) December 20, 2022
Bryce Mitchell will most likely fight again
Bryce Mitchell is 28 years old with an overall record of 15-1. The chances of him retiring after one loss are low. Mitchell’s disappointing performance at UFC 282 was two weeks ago, and he’s reacted with more hope since. He posted a video on Instagram with the caption:
“thank yall for all the love and next time i wont go n there if im not 100 percent. im not as tough as i thot i was! i thot id b fine and i wasnt i had no energy. but i learned my limits! and congrats to @downtowntjbrown on the big win brother”
During the same Instagram video, Mitchell revealed he had suffered from the flu a week before fighting Ilia Topuria. ‘Thug Nasty’ believes the illness was a direct cause of his performance. Only time will tell if and when the 28-year-old returns to the Octagon.
