Bryce Mitchell wouldn’t mind facing Ilia Topuria again.
The #10 UFC Featherweight contender is back in action against Dan Ige this weekend at UFC Vegas 79. Mitchell looks to rebound from his first professional loss to the top-ranked Topuria at UFC 282 last December.
A lot of things went wrong for Mitchell in his last booking. Prior to being tapped out by Topuria on fight night, ‘Thug Nasty’ had a nasty case of the flu. Still, the ill 28 year-old decided to step inside the Octagon.
‘I Won’t Make That Mistake Again’
Mitchell goes into detail on how he should have withdrawn from tangling with ‘El Matador’ and explains why he ultimately didn’t.
“It wasn’t a loss that so much bothered me,” Mitchell said at UFC Vegas 79 media day. “I’ve lost before. I’ve been beat up in the backyard when I was a kid. That’s just how it is and the loss does not bother me. What bothers me is that my pride wouldn’t let me pull outta that fight. I shouldn’t have even been in that damn cage.
“I lied to my coaches. I would not tell them how sick I was cause I didn’t wanna appear as a coward. I took the fight impaired and then I had to live with the consequences. It was so stupid of me to think that I could go in that state and beat such a great fighter. I won’t make that mistake again.”
Mitchell Wants A Rematch With Topuria
Mitchell continues to express his frustration in taking the fight with Topuria, adding he wants to run it back with the top ranked contender and likely next title challenger.
“It just makes me look like an idiot,” Mitchell added. “I feel like it wasn’t even me in there. That’s what makes me mad. I want a rematch, that sh*t don’t count.”
“Yes, I do,” Mitchell said, when asked if he regrets the decision to fight at UFC 282. “Obviously that was stupid of me. I won’t ever take a fight sick again. I just thought that I was like superman or something. I thought that I was gonna be really sick and it not affect my performance. Then afterwards, I thought, man, I couldn’t even breathe in there. I couldn’t even move. Trust me, I felt stupid.”
‘God’s Plan’
Ilia Topuria is the only blemish on Bryce Mitchell’s 15-1 pro record. While a rematch between the two featherweights doesn’t look to take place anytime soon, perhaps Mitchell will inch closer to that possibility with a win over Dan Ige this Saturday.
“I know that I’m better because all that stuff that happened to me. I’m better than I was last time I was in Octagon. I think that’s part of God’s plan… just gave me the time that I needed to mature and you’re gonna see Saturday night. I think I’m gonna be the best that I’ve ever been.”
