Bryce Mitchell has opened up on his knockout loss to Josh Emmett at UFC 296.
Mitchell stepped up on 10 days’ notice to face Emmett at UFC 296 in a pivotal fight for the featherweight division. He entered the fight as the betting favorite, but early in the first round, Emmett landed a massive overhand right that KO’d Mitchell.
Bryce Mitchell was out cold for quite some time and he even had convulsions as he awoke, which was a scary scene for his family and friends as the featherweight contender says they all thought he died.
“The worst part is dealing with everybody afterwards, ’cause they all thought I was dead and everything. I mean, it’s just terrible because literally everybody that I knew was crying, just sad. On the bright side, that was the easiest fight for me. I’ve never had a fight where I’ve come out feeling so great,” Mitchell said to ESPN.
“I just woke up in the ambulance and barely remembered what happened. There’s no pain, I’m telling you. It was that quick, I wasn’t in pain or anything. The hardest part for me to deal with is everybody was crying and they thought I was dead, I’m not exaggerating. All of my friends, every one of them thought I was dead or something and were all crying. That bothers me. That is going to motivate me, that I know it’s not just me getting hurt, these people really care about me,” Mitchell continued.
The good news is Bryce Mitchell was able to leave the Octagon healthy and has been recovering at home from the KO loss.
Bryce Mitchell puts himself in concussion protocol
Although Bryce Mitchell says he feels healthy, he has decided to put himself in his own concussion protocol and won’t be training too hard for the foreseeable future.
According to Mitchell, the featherweight contender plans to not spar for six months and doesn’t have plans to fight until the second half of 2024.
“I am my own medical physician and I have been consulting myself daily. I put myself on a customer training program and a custom recovery program. I’m also on my own concussion protocol. I’ll consult with my coaches, too, and we’re basically just saying, ‘You know, don’t spar for about six months.’ I’ve got to build this house and have this kid, but then I’m right into my next training camp after that. But that’s going to be a couple more months before I do that,” Mitchell said.
As of right now, Mitchell says he’s in no rush to return and isn’t sure who he will fight when he does return as he’s just focused on getting his brain healthy.
