Bryce Mitchell found himself on the wrong side of a devastating knockout finish at UFC 296 and the UFC Featherweight has revealed the impact it had on his loved ones.
‘Thug Nasty’ stepped in on short notice to face Josh Emmett after his original opponent, Giga Chikadze, withdrew from the contest due to an injury. Just before the two minute mark of round one, Emmett caught Mitchell on the chin with a stiff right hand that rendered him unconscious immediately. Just seconds later Mitchell’s unconscious body started convulsing.
Speaking to Brett Okamoto in a recent interview for ESPN MMA, Mitchell opened up on events immediately after the contest. Nobody ever wants to be on the end of a brutal knockout but Mitchell has taken the defeat in his stride. However, he confessed that the hardest part post knockout, was ensuring his family and friends were okay.
“That's the worst part for me, dealing with everybody afterwards because they all thought I was dead and everything. And I mean, it's just terrible because literally everybody that I knew was crying. It just, like sad. But on the bright side, that was the easiest fight for me as far as I'm concerned. I've never had a fight where I've come out of it feeling so great.
“I just wake up in the ambulance and can barely remember what happened. But I mean, there's no pain. I'm just telling you. That's just it was that I wasn't in pain or nothing. But, the hardest part for me to deal with is everybody was crying and they thought I was dead. And I'm not exaggerating. Like all my friends.
“I'm not kidding you. Like every one of them. Literally thought I was dead or something and they were all crying. I'm not kidding you. And so that bothers me. And that's going to motivate me because I know now it's not just me getting hurt. These people really care about me, that are watching. And it really actually bothers me the most is that everybody else was so bothered.”
Mitchell admitted he knew how dangerous Emmett could be but he felt that he needed to take the fight. He said:
“I couldn't say no. I got a kid coming up. They paid me very well and I'm very happy. And that's the bottom line, brother. I'm very happy. Yeah, some stuff went wrong, but that's what I signed up for. And that's obviously the risk. That's why they pay you well, because stuff can go really bad. But I could have done better too!”
A huge part of any fight at the highest level is the weeks spent prior, meticulously studying tape and looking for the perfect way to beat your opponent. The expectant father admitted that the one time he strayed from the game plan his team had worked on, he paid the ultimate price.
“It was literally, don't go in there and throw straight, rights. Throw power punches. I went in there and threw a power punch right off the bat with him. And the coaches were telling me, don’t throw straight rights, don't go straight rights, so I knew not to throw a straight right.
“I guess in the moment I couldn’t resist myself. Hell, I can't even remember it now, so I can't tell you what I was thinking. I remember the first part of the fight, but actually throwing the straight, right I don't know. I don't know. Maybe I was reading the jab of his or I guess I got greedy, though, and wanted to throw that straight right.
“But coaches told me, don't go in there and throw straight rights because he's going to time it and of course he did. But like I said, the bottom line is, brother, I'm happy I get paid what I needed to make to finish this house in this barn and the chicken coop and stuff. And I will have a really, really good training camp for my next fight.
“I'm coming back with a vengeance.”
Subsequent to the bout, Mitchell took to social media to thank Emmett for not following up with shots after the crushing knock out blow.
“I wanna let y’all know that I’m so happy with Josh Emmett. Right after he knocked me out, he could have followed up with the hammer fist and it probably would have killed me. He didn’t even follow up with anything. He was just happy with his knockout and he walked away and I am so gracious for that. I will forever remember that. Thank you for not hitting me extra, Josh.”
Thug Nasty was handed a 60 day suspension after the bout but it appears that Mitchell is going to enjoy some time off with his family and the birth of his son.
